In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed secure following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – stay completely in the present, as composed as possible. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed move to Liverpool.
The next 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. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we aim to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are available have been retained – so excluding 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.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
What 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 place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he sees an positive in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation squad was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the before or what is occurring in the campaign, you put that behind. You come here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is always great when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have done a excellent job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to truly buy into that. I think every single person has accepted that superbly because I enjoy so much being here and I know the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the manager has chosen me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this planet. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and help the people that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
