Anthony Barry's coaching career has taken him from the lower leagues of English football to the highest levels of international competition, now serving as a key assistant to Thomas Tuchel for Portugal's World Cup campaign.
Barry, whose playing career saw him win the Conference title with Accrington Stanley 20 years ago, has become an integral part of Tuchel's coaching staff. He first joined Chelsea as a first-team coach in the summer of 2020, impressing Frank Lampard before being retained by Tuchel when he took over in January 2021. Within months, the team had secured a Champions League title.
His international coaching experience includes a stint as an assistant coach with the Republic of Ireland before he joined Roberto Martinez. He worked with Martinez first in Belgium and then in Portugal, allowing him to coach at both a World Cup and a European Championship. During this time, he collaborated with prominent players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Kevin de Bruyne.
Known for his innovative approach, Barry specializes in set-pieces. His Pro Licence dissertation involved an extensive analysis of 17,000 throw-ins. He reunited with Tuchel in 2023 when the German manager took him to Bayern Munich.
Barry is the sole English coach within Tuchel's core support staff in Portugal, though Justin Cochrane is also part of the wider coaching team. Henrique Hilario, Nico Mayer, and James Melbourne have also extended their contracts with Tuchel's staff through 2028.
"As a young English coach, it's a gift to be around a manager like him," Barry said of Tuchel. "He is, in my opinion, absolutely world class, and right now he is in his best moment, on his best form."
Barry believes Tuchel excels under pressure. "Really in the heat of a competition is when I think he comes to his best, and I think the players see and feel that at the moment," Barry stated. "So the dynamic between me and him right now is we spend a lot of time together, we push each other, and on the back of me and him pushing each other, we push the team."