In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing remained intact following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during his club’s memorable FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he always does – remain completely in the moment, as balanced as possible. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. 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 period when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was especially good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the chance, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of support in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so not 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.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a something of a footnote.
That which must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A side. 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 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 admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he sees an positive in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era squad was. The talent was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the past or whatever is going on in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the squad themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that superbly because I love so much being here and I am sure the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel wants against Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Can the team build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has opted for me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many moments on this planet. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
