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For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained secure after the caretaker coach’s spell in the initial part of last season.

Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.

Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.

“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, who knows who is going to play?”

The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as possible. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed 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. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in each and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.

The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association 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 do get the opportunity, we aim to display what we can do.”

Belief as the Theme

Trust is the focus – and not just 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 play 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 remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding 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 Team Dynamics

His choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, 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 last-minute addition in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.

This is how a manager creates a performance-based culture, how he forges 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 essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.

Building a Brotherhood

Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.

“There isn’t any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has gone on in the before or what is going on in the campaign, you put that aside. You come here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.

“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. I think every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I am sure the others of the players feel the same, too.”

Looking Ahead

What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.

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

“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I prefer to be excited and focused and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”