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For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.

Then came the new boss, and it is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t great.

Tuchel selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”

The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – stay completely in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned move to Liverpool.

The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in each and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.

The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary reasons why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we want to display what we can do.”

Belief as the Central Idea

Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.

It was, simply, the most remarkable show of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Every one 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 obliged to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.

Tuchel’s Choices and Team Unity

His choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a something of a footnote.

That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.

Here is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he sees an positive in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.

Creating a Brotherhood

Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.

“There isn’t any tension 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 whatever is going on in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.

“The environment is always great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches 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. In my opinion every single person has accepted that superbly because I love so much being here and I am sure the rest of the lads do, too.”

Future Focus

What Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Can the team continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.

“For me, worrying is a natural human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.

“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I’d rather be positive and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”