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For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.

Then came the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.

The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which included the fixtures versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during his club’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.

“I’d say it’s natural for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to play?”

The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – remain firmly in the moment, as balanced as possible. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.

The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding 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 Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we want to show what we can do.”

Faith as the Theme

Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister 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 previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.

The Manager’s Decisions and Team Unity

His choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated 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 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 cover for the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.

Here is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, 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 question? Tuchel has effectively 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

It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.

“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the before or what is going on in the campaign, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.

“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at creating an spirit. Then again, it depends on the players to actually embrace that. I think each member has accepted that brilliantly because I love so much being here and I know the others of the lads do, too.”

Future Focus

What Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.

“In my case, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll always back the team.

“So for me, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be rather than stressing.”