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A decade ago, Anthony Barry featured in League Two. Now, he is focused to assist the head coach secure World Cup glory next summer. His path from the pitch to the sidelines began with a voluntary role coaching youngsters. Barry reflects, “It was in the evenings, third of a pitch, asked to do 11 v 11 … flat balls, not enough bibs,” and he was hooked. He discovered his purpose.

Staggering Ascent

Barry's progression has been remarkable. Beginning as Paul Cook’s assistant, he established a standing for innovative drills and great man-management. His stints with teams led him to elite sides, while also serving in coaching jobs abroad with the Republic of Ireland, Belgium, and Portugal. His players include legends including top footballers. Now, with England, it's all-consuming, the top according to him.

“Everything starts with a dream … However, I hold that dedication shifts obstacles. You have the dream but then you bring it down: ‘What's the process, each day, each phase?’ We dream about winning the World Cup. But dreams won’t get it done. It's essential to develop a systematic approach enabling us to maximize our opportunities.”

Obsession with Details

Dedication, especially with the smallest details, defines Barry’s story. Working every hour under the sun—sometimes the moon, too, they both challenge limits. Their strategies feature mental assessments, a strategy for high temperatures ahead of the tournament in North America, and creating a unified squad. Barry emphasizes the England collective and rejects terms such as "break".

“You’re not coming here for a holiday or a break,” Barry notes. “It was vital to establish a setup that attracts the squad and they're pushed that returning to club duty feels easier.”

Ambitious Trainers

The assistant coach says and the head coach as highly ambitious. “Our goal is to master each element of play,” he declares. “We strive to own the entire field and that’s what we spend many of our days on. We must not just to keep up of changes and to lead and set new standards. This is continuous with a mindset of solving issues. And it’s to make the complex clear.

“We have 50 days together with the team ahead of the tournament. We need to execute an intricate approach that offers a strategic upper hand and explain it thoroughly in that period. It’s to take it from concept to details to understanding to action.

“To create a system enabling productivity during the limited time, it's crucial to employ all the time available since we took the job. When the squad is away, we need to foster connections with each player. It's essential to invest time communicating regularly, observing them live, sense their presence. Relying only on those 50 days, we have no chance.”

Upcoming Matches

He is getting ready on the last two for the World Cup preliminaries – against Serbia at Wembley and Albania in Tirana. They've already ensured their place at the finals with six wins out of six and six clean sheets. But there will be no easing off; quite the opposite. This is the time to strengthen the squad's character, to gain more impetus.

“We are both certain that the football philosophy must reflect the best aspects about the Premier League,” Barry explains. “The physicality, the flexibility, the robustness, the work ethic. The national team shirt must be difficult to earn but comfortable to have on. It ought to be like a superhero's cape and not body armour.

“To make it light, we have to give them a style that allows them to operate as they do in club games, that connects with them and allows them to take the handbrake off. They should overthink less and increase execution.

“There are morale boosts you can get as a coach at both ends of the pitch – starting moves deep, closing down early. However, in midfield on the field, that section, we feel the game has become stuck, particularly in the Premier League. Everybody has so much information these days. They understand tactics – defensive shapes. We are focusing to increase tempo in that central area.”

Passion for Progress

His desire to get better is relentless. When he studied for the Uefa pro licence, he had concerns about the presentation, especially as his class featured big names including former players. So, to build his skill set, he sought out difficult settings imaginable to practise giving them. Including a prison in Liverpool, and he trained detainees in a football drill.

He completed the course in 2020 at the top of the class, and his dissertation – about dead-ball situations, where he studied thousands of throw-ins – got into print. Frank was one of those impressed and he brought Barry as part of his backroom at Stamford Bridge. When Lampard was sacked, it spoke volumes that the club got rid of virtually all of his coaches while keeping Barry.

Lampard’s successor at Stamford Bridge was Tuchel, and shortly after, they claimed the Champions League. When he was let go, the coach continued in the setup. However, when Tuchel returned with Bayern, he got Barry out of Chelsea to rejoin him. The Football Association consider them a duo like previous management pairs.

“Thomas is unique {in terms of personality and methodology|in character and approach|