Guéhi Leaves Worries Behind, Winning Tuchel’s Trust and Claiming His England Spot

For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park defender had shone for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed intact following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.

Then came the new boss, and it is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought another defender into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.

Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which included the fixtures against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

“I’d say it’s normal for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence against Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the team’s going to be, who knows who’s going to play?”

The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as possible. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.

The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Not a soul 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 period when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in both and was especially impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.

The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary reasons why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the chance, we aim to display what we can do.”

Belief as the Theme

Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.

It was, quite, the most remarkable show of confidence 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 fit have been retained – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.

The Manager’s Choices and Squad Dynamics

Tuchel’s choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.

What must not be ignored – 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 place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former now being OK and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.

Here is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he sees an upside in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.

Building a Strong Unit

It was with good 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 so-called golden generation squad was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.

“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the past or whatever is going on in the season, you leave that behind. You come here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.

“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic role at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to truly embrace that. I think every single person has bought into that superbly because I enjoy so much being here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”

Looking Ahead

What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.

“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.

“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this planet. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”