For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his standing remained intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his second camp in June, which included the matches versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to be, who knows who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay firmly in the moment, as balanced as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer 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 man possessed. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in each and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a afterthought.
What must not be overlooked – 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, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the latter now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate 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 divided their so-called talented era squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has gone on in the before or what is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the individuals to actually buy into that. I think every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins positive, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a normal feeling,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the manager has opted for me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I’d rather be positive and concentrated and help the people that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be rather than worrying.”
