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A decade ago, Anthony Barry featured at a lower division club. Now, his attention is fixed to assist the England manager win the World Cup next summer. His path from athlete to trainer started through volunteering with the youth team. He recalls, “It was in the evenings, third of a pitch, asked to do 11 v 11 … flat balls, not enough bibs,” and it captivated him. He had found his purpose.

Staggering Ascent

His advancement stands out. Commencing as Paul Cook’s assistant, he developed a reputation for innovative drills and excellent people skills. His stints with teams led him to top European clubs, while also serving in roles with national teams across multiple countries. He has worked with stars like top footballers. Today, as part of Team England, it’s full-time, the top as he describes it.

“Dreams are the starting point … But I’m a believer that passion overcomes challenges. You dream big and then you plan: ‘How can we achieve it, day-by-day, step-by-step?’ We dream about winning the World Cup. However, vision doesn't suffice. We must create a structured plan that allows us to have the best chance.”

Detail-Oriented Approach

Obsession, focusing on tiny aspects, is central to his philosophy. Putting in long hours under the sun—sometimes the moon, too, the coaching duo challenge limits. The approach feature player analysis, a strategy for high temperatures for the finals abroad, and building a true team. He stresses the England collective and dislikes phrases such as "break".

“It's not time off or a rest,” he explains. “It was vital to establish a setup that attracts the squad and, secondly, they feel so stretched that returning to club duty feels easier.”

Driven Leaders

The assistant coach says and the head coach as “very greedy”. “We aim to control all parts of the match,” he declares. “We seek to command the entire field and that’s what we spend many of our days on. We must not only to stay ahead with developments and to lead and innovate. This is continuous focused on finding solutions. And to clarify complicated matters.

“We get 50 days together with the team prior to the World Cup. We have to play a complex game that gives us a tactical advantage and we must clarify it during that time. It's about moving it from concept to details to knowledge to execution.

“To develop a process that allows us to be productive in the 50 days, it's crucial to employ the entire 500 days we'll have from when we started. In the time we don’t have the players, we need to foster connections with each player. We must dedicate moments communicating regularly, observing them live, sense their presence. Relying only on those 50 days, we won't succeed.”

World Cup Qualifiers

Barry is preparing for the final pair of World Cup qualifiers – versus Serbia in London and away to Albania. England have guaranteed qualification with six wins out of six and six clean sheets. But there will be no easing off; on the contrary. This is the time to build on the team's style, to maintain progress.

“Thomas and I are both pretty clear that our playing approach must reflect everything that is good about the Premier League,” Barry says. “The fitness, the adaptability, the strength, the honesty. The England jersey needs to be highly competitive but comfortable to have on. It should feel like a cape instead of heavy armour.

“To make it light, it's crucial to offer a system that lets them to move and run similar to weekly matches, that feels natural and encourages attacking play. They should overthink less and more in doing.

“There are emotional wins for managers in attack and defense – starting moves deep, closing down early. However, in midfield on the field, that section, we feel the game has become stuck, especially in England's top flight. All teams are well-prepared now. They understand tactics – mid-blocks, deep blocks. We are really trying to focus on accelerating the game in that central area.”

Drive for Growth

The coach's thirst for development is relentless. During his education for the top coaching badge, he was worried about the presentation, as his cohort included stars such as Frank Lampard and Michael Carrick. So, to build his skill set, he went into the most challenging environments available to him to hone his presentations. Including a prison locally, where he also took inmates in a football drill.

He completed the course with top honors, and his dissertation – The Undervalued Set Piece, in which he examined numerous set-plays – was published. Frank was one of those won over and he recruited the coach on to his staff at Chelsea. When Lampard was sacked, it said plenty that the club got rid of nearly all assistants while keeping Barry.

The next manager at Stamford Bridge was Tuchel, and, four months later, he and Barry won the Champions League. When Tuchel was dismissed, Barry remained under Graham Potter. But when Tuchel re-emerged in Germany, he got Barry out away from London to rejoin him. The FA view them as a partnership similar to Southgate and Holland.

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