Ten years ago, Anthony Barry was playing for Accrington Stanley in League Two and coaching the Under-16s on a voluntary basis. Now, as England assistant coach, he is helping Thomas Tuchel prepare for the World Cup with a focus on psychological, tactical and physical profiling.
Barry’s rise from part-time youth coach to working with stars such as Thiago Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Cristiano Ronaldo has been remarkable. He describes his current role with England as the ‘pinnacle’ and stresses the importance of obsession with detail and methodical processes to achieve the dream of winning the World Cup.
Barry and Tuchel aim to dominate every aspect of the game and stay ahead of trends. With only 50 days with players before the finals, they use the 500 days since taking the job to build relationships and refine their game model, including adapting to expected high temperatures in the US, Canada and Mexico.
England have already qualified for the World Cup with six wins and six clean sheets. Barry insists on maintaining intensity, calling the term ‘international break’ a misnomer: ‘You’re not coming here for a holiday.’ He wants players to feel stretched and eager to return.
