For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept another defender into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which included the matches versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – stay completely in the present, as balanced as he could be. Which would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that camp and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel over. The young defender started in both and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “I think what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we aim to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most stunning show of support in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. 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 forced to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Unity
Tuchel’s decision to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a something of a afterthought.
What must not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former now being OK and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.
“There isn’t any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is going on in the season, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent role at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to truly buy into that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I love immensely being here and I am sure the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal feeling,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be rather than worrying.”