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For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained secure following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.

Then came Thomas Tuchel, and it is worth remembering that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look great.

Tuchel selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.

“I’d say it’s normal for any footballer to almost question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”

The thing Guéhi then did was what he typically does – stay completely in the present, as balanced as possible. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned move 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 gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in each and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.

The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary reasons why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can do.”

Belief as the Theme

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 traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their next 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 last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each 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 withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.

The Manager’s Decisions and Team Dynamics

Tuchel’s choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a footnote.

What should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be 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 surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former now being OK and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.

Here is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the message he has delivered. Reputations will not sway him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.

Creating a Brotherhood

Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.

“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the past or what is going on in the campaign, you put that aside. You come here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.

“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a excellent role at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the individuals to truly embrace that. I think every single person has bought into that superbly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I know the others of the lads feel the same, too.”

Looking Ahead

That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.

“For me, anxiety is a normal feeling,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this chance and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always back the team.

“So personally, worrying can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I prefer to be excited 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.”