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In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.

Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving 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 not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.

“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence against Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown 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 serve him well during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer 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 difficult not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in each and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.

The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can achieve.”

Faith as the Theme

Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.

It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so excluding 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.

The Manager’s Choices and Team Unity

Tuchel’s choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.

What should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.

Here is how a coach creates a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the team 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 question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he sees an upside in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate 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, disclosing how egotistical and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.

“There isn’t any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “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 season, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the guys 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 done a fantastic role at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the players feel the same, too.”

Future Focus

What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the team build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.

“In my case, anxiety is a normal feeling,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the manager has chosen me for this chance and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.

“So personally, worrying can be a waste of time. You only get so many moments on this earth. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be rather than worrying.”