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For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing remained intact following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.

Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate 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 unused substitute, it did not look great.

Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during his club’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.

“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … it’s unclear what the team’s going to be, who knows who is going to feature?”

The thing Guéhi then did was what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as possible. Which would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his planned transfer to Liverpool.

The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in each and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.

The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we receive the chance, we want to display what we can do.”

Faith as the Theme

Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.

It was, quite, the most stunning show of support in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each 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 more minor one.

The Manager’s Decisions and Team Unity

His decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been made as a something of a footnote.

What must not be overlooked – 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 cover for the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.

Here is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he sees an positive in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.

Creating a Strong Unit

Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their so-called talented era team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.

“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or what is going on in the campaign, you put that behind. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.

“The atmosphere is always great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. I think every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the others of the players feel the same, too.”

Future Focus

What Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the wins welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.

“For me, worrying is a natural feeling,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m starting or not I’ll always support the team.

“So personally, worrying can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this earth. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”