For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was understandable. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing stayed intact following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Then came the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which included the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during his club’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
What Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as balanced as possible. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following 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 hard 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 five-nil win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the Football Association hired 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 theme – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed 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 gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit have been retained – 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.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Team Unity
His decision to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called golden generation squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.
“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has happened in the before or whatever is going on in the season, you put that behind. You come here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is always positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to actually embrace that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I love so much coming here and I am sure the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the side continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I prefer to be excited and focused and help the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
