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A decade ago, Anthony Barry was playing for Accrington Stanley. Today, his attention is fixed on helping the England manager secure World Cup glory in 2026. His journey from the pitch to the sidelines began as an unpaid coach for Accrington's Under-16s. Barry reflects, “It was in the evenings, third of a pitch, asked to do 11 v 11 … flat balls, not enough bibs,” and he fell in love with it. He realized his calling.

Rapid Rise

His advancement stands out. Commencing as Paul Cook’s assistant, he established a name for innovative drills and excellent people skills. His club career led him to elite sides, while also serving in coaching jobs abroad with the Republic of Ireland, Belgium, and Portugal. He has worked with big names such as Thiago Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Cristiano Ronaldo. Today, as part of Team England, it’s full-time, the “pinnacle” according to him.

“All begins with a vision … However, I hold that obsession can move mountains. You have the dream and then you plan: ‘What's the process, day-by-day, step-by-step?’ We aim for World Cup victory. However, vision doesn't suffice. It's essential to develop a methodical process enabling us to maximize our opportunities.”

Detail-Oriented Approach

Passion, especially with the smallest details, defines Barry’s story. Putting in long hours all the time, he and Tuchel push hard at comfort zones. Their methods feature psychological profiling, a heat-proof game model for the World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico, 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 rest,” Barry says. “We had to build something that attracts the squad and where they're challenged that going back is a relief.”

Greedy Coaches

Barry describes himself along with the manager as “very greedy”. “We want to dominate all parts of the match,” he states. “We strive to own the entire field and that’s what we spend long hours toward. Our responsibility not just to keep up with developments but to surpass them and create our own ones. It’s a constant process with a mindset of solving issues. And to simplify complexity.

“We get 50 days together with the team prior to the World Cup. We must implement 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 know-how to performance.

“To build a methodology enabling productivity in the 50 days, we have to use the entire 500 days we'll have since we took the job. In the time we don’t have the players, it's vital to develop bonds with them. It's essential to invest time in calls with players, observing them live, sense their presence. Relying only on those 50 days, it's impossible.”

World Cup Qualifiers

He is getting ready on the last two in the qualifying campaign – facing Serbia at home and Albania in Tirana. They've already ensured their place at the finals by winning all six games with perfect defensive records. But there will be no easing off; on the contrary. Now is the moment to build on the team's style, for further momentum.

“Thomas and I are both pretty clear that the style of play should represent all the positives about the Premier League,” Barry explains. “The athleticism, the versatility, the robustness, the work ethic. The national team shirt needs to be highly competitive but comfortable to have on. It should feel like a cape instead of heavy armour.

“To make it light, we have to give them a system that lets them to play freely similar to weekly matches, that connects with them and encourages attacking play. They need to reduce hesitation and more in doing.

“There are morale boosts for managers at both ends of the pitch – playing out from the back, pressing from the front. Yet, in the central zone of the pitch, those 24 metres, we believe play has stagnated, notably in domestic leagues. Coaches have extensive data now. They can organize – defensive shapes. We are focusing to focus on accelerating the game in that central area.”

Drive for Growth

His desire to get better knows no bounds. During his education for the Uefa pro licence, he was worried regarding the final talk, especially as his class featured big names like Lampard and Carrick. So, to build his skill set, he sought out the most challenging environments he could find to hone his presentations. One was HMP Walton in his home city of Liverpool, and he trained detainees during an exercise.

He completed the course as the best in his year, and his dissertation – The Undervalued Set Piece, in which he examined numerous set-plays – was published. Lampard was among those won over and he brought Barry on to his staff with the Blues. When Frank was fired, it was telling that the team dismissed nearly all assistants except Barry.

His replacement at Chelsea became Tuchel, and, four months later, he and Barry won the Champions League. When he was let go, Barry stayed on under Graham Potter. But when Tuchel re-emerged with Bayern, he recruited Barry from Chelsea and back alongside him. The FA see them as a double act similar to Southgate and Holland.

“I’ve never seen anything like Thomas {in terms of personality and methodology|in character and approach|