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For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace defender had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact following the caretaker coach’s spell in the first half of last season.

Then came the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept another defender into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.

The manager started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.

“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to be, who knows who’s going to feature?”

The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – stay firmly in the present, as composed as possible. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer 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 worked like a demon. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult 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 was selected in both and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.

The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association appointed him. “I think what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we want to display what we can achieve.”

Faith as the Central Idea

Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going 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, simply, the most remarkable show of confidence in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.

Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Unity

His choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a something of a footnote.

What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, despite 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 compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.

This is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.

Creating a Brotherhood

Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.

“There’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the before or what is going on in the campaign, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these become your closest allies, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.

“The environment is always positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely being here and I am sure the rest of the players feel the same, too.”

Looking Ahead

That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.

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

“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many days on this planet. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be instead of stressing.”