For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key pick under the previous manager, and his status stayed intact after the caretaker coach’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which included the fixtures against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … who knows what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
What Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as possible. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in both and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association hired him. “I think what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Theme
Trust is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the last camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Dynamics
His choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a bit of a afterthought.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – 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 side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he sees an upside in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the before or what is occurring in the season, you put that aside. You come here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to truly buy into that. In my opinion each member has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I know the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal feeling,” he states about not playing 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 still support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many moments on this earth. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of worrying.”
