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For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.

Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought 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 wasn’t promising.

Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp in June, which included the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during his club’s historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.

“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “You know, new manager 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. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented 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 worked like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was particularly good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.

The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we aim to display what we can do.”

Belief as the Central Idea

Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England meet 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 squad selection.

It was, quite, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.

The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Unity

His decision to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a bit of a afterthought.

What must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.

Here is how a coach creates a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he believes in an upside in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.

Creating a Brotherhood

It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called talented era squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.

“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the past or whatever is going on in the campaign, you put that aside. You come here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.

“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic job at fostering an spirit. Then again, it comes down to the players to truly buy into that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I love immensely being here and I know the others of the lads feel the same, too.”

Looking Ahead

What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against 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 thrillers. Can the side build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.

“For me, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this chance and whether I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.

“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be instead of stressing.”