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For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.

Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.

The manager selected 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 fixtures 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.

“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to play?”

The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – remain completely in the moment, as balanced as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.

The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any internal turmoil. 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 25-year-old started 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 FA appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we aim to show what we can do.”

Belief as the Theme

Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child 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 sixth World Cup qualifier 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 sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are available have been retained – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.

Tuchel’s Choices and Team 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 likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.

What must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the latter now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.

Here is how a manager creates a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the team behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the signal he has delivered. Reputations will not sway him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.

Creating a Brotherhood

It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped talented era 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 animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the past or what is going on in the campaign, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.

“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent role at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the players to actually buy into that. I think each member has accepted that superbly because I love immensely being here and I am sure the others of the players feel the same, too.”

Future Focus

That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.

“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It signifies that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.

“So for me, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”