For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his status remained secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches against Andorra away 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 almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay firmly in the present, as balanced as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in both and was particularly good in the five-nil win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association appointed him. “I think what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we aim to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Unity
His choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a afterthought.
What should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the group. However, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager creates 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 wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has happened in the before or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the individuals to actually embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely being here and I know the rest of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll still support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many moments on this planet. I prefer to be excited and focused and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
