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For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his status stayed 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 coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought another defender into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.

Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his second camp in June, which included the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.

“I’d say it’s natural for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to be, who knows who is going to play?”

The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – remain firmly in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed transfer to Liverpool.

The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. 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 period when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.

The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association hired him. “I think what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the chance, we want to display what we can achieve.”

Belief as the Central Idea

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

It was, quite, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been kept – 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 less serious one.

The Manager’s Choices and Squad Unity

His choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been made as a something of a afterthought.

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 replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the latter now being OK and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.

This is how a manager creates a meritocracy, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the unit supporting 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 essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the message he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.

Building a Strong Unit

It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his first game.

“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the before or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the guys 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 staff, have done a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the individuals to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I know the rest of the players do, too.”

Looking Ahead

What Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories positive, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.

“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.

“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and help the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”