For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing remained intact after the caretaker coach’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is worth remembering that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t great.
The manager started Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to almost question that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he typically does – stay completely in the present, as composed as possible. Which would serve him well during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported 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 been aware about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned 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 works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust 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 traveling 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, simply, the most remarkable show of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so excluding 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 Decisions and Team Unity
His choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
What must 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 cover for the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered 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 former now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the message he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good 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 so-called talented era team was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.
“There isn’t any tension between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the past or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you put that behind. You arrive here, these become your closest allies, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent role at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to actually embrace that. I think 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
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a showing that excites 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 build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and help the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
