In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed intact following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Then came the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look great.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which included the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s memorable FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Not a soul would have known about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in both and was especially good in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the chance, we aim to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most stunning demonstration of support in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions 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 fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
What must 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 injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the latter now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach creates a meritocracy, how he forges connections. Tuchel loved the team behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes 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 session – and he sees an positive in the message he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped talented era team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or what is occurring in the campaign, you put that behind. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic role at fostering an spirit. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to actually buy into that. In my opinion each member has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely being here and I know the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the wins positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the team build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal feeling,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the manager has chosen me for this chance and whether I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
