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For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.

Enter the new boss, and it is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.

Tuchel started 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 matches against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.

“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to feature?”

What Guéhi then did was what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as balanced 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 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 known about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 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 appointed him. “I think what the manager has achieved is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we aim to display what we can achieve.”

Belief as the Central Idea

Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the son 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 sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.

It was, simply, the most stunning show of support in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited 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 obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.

The Manager’s Choices and Team Unity

His choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, 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 replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.

This is how a manager creates a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he sees an upside in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.

Building a Brotherhood

It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.

“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or what is occurring in the season, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.

“The environment is always positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic role at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to actually buy into that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy 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 fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the side continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.

“For me, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the manager has opted for me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.

“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this earth. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of worrying.”