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For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing stayed intact after the caretaker coach’s spell in the initial part of last season.

Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it 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 remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t promising.

The manager started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp 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 win over Manchester City.

“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to play?”

What Guéhi did next was what he always does – remain completely in the present, as balanced as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his planned transfer 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 demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in each and was particularly good in the five-nil win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.

The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association hired him. “I think what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we want to display what we can do.”

Belief as the Theme

Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going 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 confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are available have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.

Tuchel’s Decisions and Team Dynamics

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

That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.

This 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 bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this camp – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.

Creating a Brotherhood

It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.

“There isn’t any tension between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the before or what is going on in the season, you put that aside. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.

“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at fostering an spirit. Additionally, it comes down to the individuals to actually buy into that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that superbly because I enjoy so much coming here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”

Future Focus

That which Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the team build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.

“For me, anxiety is a normal feeling,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.

“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this earth. I’d rather be positive and focused and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”