🔗 Share this article

In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park defender had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.

Then came Thomas Tuchel, and it 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 certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.

The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to play?”

The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed move to Liverpool.

The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Nobody would have known about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old was selected in both and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.

The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the FA hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we do get the chance, we aim to display what we can do.”

Belief as the Theme

Trust is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.

It was, quite, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are available have been kept – so not 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 Choices and Squad Unity

His choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a afterthought.

What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former now being OK and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.

This is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward 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 signal he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.

Building a Brotherhood

Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped golden generation team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.

“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is going on in the season, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.

“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent job at creating an spirit. Additionally, it comes down to the individuals to truly embrace that. In my opinion each member has accepted that superbly because I love immensely being here and I know the others of the lads do, too.”

Future Focus

That which Tuchel wants against Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the wins welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the team continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.

“For me, worrying is a natural human emotion,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the manager has opted for me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.

“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this planet. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”