Anthony Barry has been named Thomas Tuchel’s assistant head coach of England after working with the German elite manager at both Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
The 38 year old has also with the Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Portugal feels excited and honoured with his new role with The Three Lions.
When asked by England Football how it feels to be named assistant head coach of the England national team he said: “Pretty incredible, really. Quite surreal. It’s been a fantastic process and Thomas and I have loved every minute of it.”
Barry didn’t hesitate to accept the now job saying: “As soon as I’d seen the project had captured the imagination of Thomas in the way it did, we were back and forward sharing so much energy towards it and imagining what we could do with these players.
Having worked abroad, the proud Englishman is glad to be back: “Of course there’s the extra layer for me of being an Englishman. I’ve worked for lots of federations around the world and they’ve all been a privilege, but to come home and represent the FA and England is something that’s the proudest moment of my career.”
“I have been fortunate in the last few years to work for some of the biggest teams in the world, whether that’s in club or international football.
Barry backs his skills despite his age saying: “For such a young coach I have quite a lot of experience and I hope it can help us. Thomas has already spoken about the fact we want to move quickly and be streamlined with our processes and part of that will hopefully be my experience in international football.”
Like Tuchel, Barry is in awe of Wembley Stadium and has been there as a fan, a player and a coach: “It feels amazing, it’s an incredible stadium. I read a famous quote from Pele saying that Wembley is the heart, capital and cathedral of football. I think he’s right.
“This stadium is so celebrated as the home of football and for me it’s amazing to be back. I have memories of EURO ’96, coming down here with my father to watch the games. I have memories not so good, too, of losing a play-off final here. I’ve won and lost here as a coach but I can’t wait to be standing on the sideline wearing the Three Lions.”
Good luck Anthony. Now bring it home.
