For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park defender had shone for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy 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 wasn’t promising.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp 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 memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, who knows who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – stay completely in the present, as balanced as he could be. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. Nobody would have known about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in each and was particularly good in the five-nil win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is show a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going 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, simply, the most stunning show of support in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.
What must not be overlooked – 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 cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the group. Though, 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 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 it even a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this camp – and he believes in an upside in the message he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their so-called golden generation squad was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the players that you go to war 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 done a fantastic job at creating an spirit. Additionally, it comes down to the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion each member has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy so much being here and I know the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side continue the intensity they showed 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 selected in that group. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this earth. I’d rather be positive and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
