In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence against Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
What Guéhi then did was what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as balanced as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Not a soul would have known about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in each and was especially good in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he sees an upside in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the past or whatever is occurring in the season, you put that aside. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic role at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to actually embrace that. I think every single person has accepted that superbly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I know the rest of the lads do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Can the team build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a natural human emotion,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this planet. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
