🔗 Share this article

Ten years back, Barry competed in League Two. Today, his attention is fixed supporting the head coach claim the World Cup trophy next summer. His journey from player to coach began as an unpaid coach for Accrington's Under-16s. Barry reflects, “Evening sessions, a partial pitch, organizing 11-a-side … deflated balls, scarce bibs,” and it captivated him. He had found his purpose.

Rapid Rise

Barry's progression stands out. Starting as Paul Cook’s assistant, he built a standing with creative training and excellent people skills. His stints with teams included elite sides, and he held roles with national teams for Ireland, Belgium, and Portugal. He's coached stars like top footballers. Now, with England, it's all-consuming, the top according to him.

“Dreams are the starting point … But I’m a believer that dedication shifts obstacles. You envision the goal and then you plan: ‘How do we do it, gradually?’ Our goal is the World Cup. Yet dreams alone aren't enough. We must create a methodical process so we can to maximize our opportunities.”

Obsession with Details

Passion, especially with the smallest details, is central to his philosophy. Working every hour day and night, the coaching duo push hard at comfort zones. Their strategies feature psychological profiling, a heat-proof game model for the World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and building a true team. Barry emphasizes the national team spirit and dislikes phrases including "pause".

“You’re not coming here for a holiday or a rest,” he explains. “We needed to create an environment that the players want to be part of and they're pushed that it’s a breather.”

Greedy Coaches

He characterizes himself along with the manager as highly ambitious. “Our goal is to master all parts of the match,” Barry affirms. “We strive to own the entire field and that’s what we spend long hours toward. Our responsibility to not only anticipate of changes but to beat them and innovate. It’s a constant process focused on finding solutions. And to clarify complicated matters.

“We have 50 days alongside the squad ahead of the tournament. We have to play an intricate approach that gives us a tactical advantage and we have to make it so clear during that time. It's about moving it from thought to data to knowledge to execution.

“To develop a process enabling productivity in the 50 days, we must utilize all the time available after our appointment. When the squad is away, it's vital to develop bonds with them. It's essential to invest time on the phone with them, we have to see them in stadiums, feel them, touch them. If we just use the 50 days, we won't succeed.”

World Cup Qualifiers

Barry is preparing for the final pair for the World Cup preliminaries – facing Serbia at home and away to Albania. They've already ensured qualification with six wins out of six without conceding a goal. But there will be no easing off; instead. This is the time to reinforce the team’s identity, to gain more impetus.

“The manager and I agree that our playing approach should represent all the positives about the Premier League,” Barry says. “The physicality, the versatility, the robustness, the honesty. The Three Lions kit needs to be highly competitive but light to wear. It should feel like a cape and not body armour.

“For it to feel easy, it's crucial to offer a system that lets them to operate as they do in club games, that feels natural and encourages attacking play. They should overthink less and more in doing.

“There are emotional wins you can get as a coach in the first and final thirds – playing out from the back, pressing from the front. Yet, in the central zone in that part of the ground, we believe play has stagnated, particularly in the Premier League. Everybody has so much information these days. They understand tactics – structured defenses. We are really trying to focus on accelerating the game across those 24 metres.”

Thirst for Improvement

His desire to get better is relentless. During his education for the Uefa pro licence, he had concerns about the presentation, as his cohort contained luminaries including former players. To enhance his abilities, he sought out tough situations available to him to improve his talks. One was HMP Walton in his home city of Liverpool, where he also took inmates for a training session.

Barry graduated in 2020 at the top of the class, and his research paper – focusing on set-pieces, where he studied thousands of throw-ins – was published. Lampard was among those convinced and he hired Barry on to his staff at Stamford Bridge. When Lampard was sacked, it said plenty that Chelsea removed most of his staff but not Barry.

Lampard’s successor at Stamford Bridge took over, and shortly after, he and Barry won the Champions League. When he was let go, Barry remained in the setup. Once Tuchel resurfaced at Munich, he recruited Barry from Chelsea and back alongside him. English football's governing body view them as a partnership akin to Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland.

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