Marc Guehi admits he had Thomas Tuchel worry despite England breakthrough

Marc Guehi admitted he questioned whether he would be part of Thomas Tuchel’s England plans. Crystal Palace captain Guehi was a guaranteed starter in last year’s Euros and one of former manager Gareth Southgate’s first picks.

But Tuchel was the Chelsea boss who sold him when he was in charge at Stamford Bridge and Guehi was left on the bench for the England manager’s first game against Albania in March in favour of Dan Burn. Guehi says worrying takes up too much headspace for any footballer but admits he did think he might have to win over Tuchel after his confidence took a knock.

England defender Guehi said: “I'd say it's natural for every player to almost question that. New manager coming in, who knows what the team's going to look like, who knows who's going to play?

“But I think what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us. Any time we do get the opportunity or get the chance, we want to show what we can do, and show our abilities.”

"Everyone's different. Like you said, for me, worrying of course is a natural human emotion. But I was picked in the squad. So for me it doesn't make sense to worry at all.

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“It means that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity, whether I'm playing or not I'll still support the team. I'll still be there for the lads. For me, worrying can be a waste of time.

“You don't have many days on this earth. So I'd rather be excited and be focused and help the people that I can around, or help myself, by being the best that I can be instead of worrying.”

Guehi has had an unforgettable 2025 as he won the FA Cup with Palace at Wembley, saw a dream move to Liverpool collapse at the 11th hour in the summer and also scored his first England goal in Serbia last month.

He insists he does not like to look back and his family keep his feet on the ground. But he is also enjoying being part of this England squad and, when Tuchel talks about team spirit, he says the togetherness has never been better.

Guehi added: “I think this year is something that when my career is all said and done, I'll probably appreciate it more and look back on it with a bit more pride.

“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 season, you leave that behind. You come here, these are your best friends, these are your team-mates, these are the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.

"There's so many leaders. There's so many club captains that we have in the team. I'm a big fan of leadership, in so many different ways. Leadership can come in all types and forms.

“We have leaders that are very vocal, we have leaders that show their quality on the ball, leaders that have amazing energy out of possession. We've got so many leaders in the group.

“I think, with the experience that all the lads have, it really shows in the games that we have that we can really rely on each other, or dig each other out when we need to.”

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