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In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace defender had shone for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing 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 Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn 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 great.

Tuchel started 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 matches against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.

“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”

What Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – stay firmly in the present, as balanced as he could be. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed transfer 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 demon. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender started in each and was especially impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.

The faith 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 appointed him. “I think what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the chance, we want to show what we can achieve.”

Belief as the Central Idea

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

It was, simply, the most stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one 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 less serious one.

Tuchel’s Decisions and Team Unity

His decision to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a afterthought.

What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.

This is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the message he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Being a supportive colleague will.

Creating a Strong Unit

Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their so-called talented era team was. The talent was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his first game.

“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, 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 FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. I think every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I love so much being here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”

Future Focus

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

“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.

“So for me, worrying can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this earth. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be instead of stressing.”