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For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his standing stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s spell in the first half of last season.

Enter the new boss, and it is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look promising.

Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select 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 historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.

“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”

The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – stay firmly in the moment, as balanced as possible. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.

The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Not a soul would have known 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 won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.

The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “I think what the gaffer has achieved is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can do.”

Faith as the Central Idea

Trust is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play 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 stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Each 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 less serious one.

The Manager’s Decisions and Team Dynamics

His decision to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a afterthought.

That which should 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 place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.

Here is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.

Building a Strong Unit

It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.

“There isn’t any tension between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the before or whatever is occurring in the season, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.

“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the lads feel the same, too.”

Future Focus

What Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.

“For me, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the boss has opted for me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.

“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this planet. I prefer to be positive and focused and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”