For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look promising.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also 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 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 states, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was what he typically does – remain completely in the moment, as balanced as possible. Which would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed 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 demon. Not a soul would have known about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel around. The young defender started in each and was especially good in the 5-0 win over 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 reasons why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we do get the chance, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Dynamics
His choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
What should not be overlooked – 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 replace the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel loved the team supporting 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 turned it into one for this session – and he sees an upside in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era team was. The talent was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is going on in the season, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent role at fostering an spirit. Then again, it depends on the individuals to truly buy into that. I think each member has bought into that superbly because I enjoy immensely being here and I know the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a natural human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this planet. I prefer to be excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”