For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed secure after the caretaker coach’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving 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 not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he typically does – remain completely in the present, as balanced as possible. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Nobody would have known about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that camp and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender started in each and was especially good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the chance, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
What must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the latter now being OK and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he sees an upside in the message he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on 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 battle with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic job at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the players to actually embrace that. I think every single person has accepted that superbly because I love immensely being here and I know the others of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this planet. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
