🔗 Share this article

In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing remained intact following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.

Then came the new boss, and it is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought another defender 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 promising.

Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which included the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

“I’d say it’s natural for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence against Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”

The thing Guéhi then did was what he typically does – remain firmly in the moment, as balanced as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.

The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Not a soul would have known about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in both and was especially good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.

The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we aim to show what we can do.”

Faith as the Central Idea

Trust is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.

It was, simply, the most remarkable show of support in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each 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 forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.

The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics

His choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.

What should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former now being OK and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.

Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he sees an positive in the message he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.

Building a Strong Unit

Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.

“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has happened in the before or whatever is occurring in the season, you put that aside. You come here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.

“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. I think every single person has bought into that superbly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”

Future Focus

That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.

“In my case, anxiety is a natural feeling,” 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 whether I’m starting or not I’ll always support the team.

“So for me, worrying can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I’d rather be positive and concentrated and help the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”