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In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s spell in the initial part of last season.

Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.

Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which included the matches versus Andorra away 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 natural for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission 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 play?”

What Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as balanced as he could be. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.

The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games 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 matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old was selected in both and was particularly good in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.

The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the chance, we want to show what we can achieve.”

Faith as the Central Idea

Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition 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, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.

Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Unity

Tuchel’s decision to omit 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.

That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the latter now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.

Here is how a coach creates a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel loved the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.

Creating a Brotherhood

It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era squad was. The talent was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.

“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is going on in the campaign, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.

“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the players to truly buy into that. I think every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy so much coming here and I am sure the others of the players do, too.”

Looking Ahead

That which Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the team continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.

“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.

“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this earth. I’d rather be positive and focused and help the people that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be rather than stressing.”