For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under the previous manager, and his standing remained intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches against Andorra away 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 natural for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … who knows what the squad’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 benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked 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 games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in each and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win over 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 factors why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we aim to show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the theme – 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 face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed 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 tenure. Each of the 24 who are available have been retained – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Choices and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s decision to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Strong Unit
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the before or whatever is going on in the campaign, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent role at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to actually embrace that. I think every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I love so much being here and I am sure the rest of the lads do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a natural feeling,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and focused and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of worrying.”
