England‘s assistant head coach Anthony Barry has likened Thomas Tuchel to a “UFO” with the “stardust” to bring World Cup glory.
Barry is a loyal disciple of the German after first working under him at Chelsea, following him to Bayern Munich before jumping at the chance of being part of Tuchel’s backroom staff with England — where the mission is to win next summer’s World Cup.
Barry, aged 39, who began coaching Accrington under-16s in his mid-20s, has quickly earned a reputation as a precocious elite-level coach and says working with Tuchel has enlightened him.
“I often say it was a meeting of minds and a meeting of personalities,” the Liverpudlian said. “To say I fell in love with him wouldn’t be an understatement.
“He swept into Chelsea, he floated in, he didn’t walk. I’ve never seen anything like him in terms of personality and also in methodology, in a way of working.
“He was something for me that was almost like a UFO.
“He was not like anything I’d seen before. I have to say it was as much down to his methodology and his way of working, but it’s down to him. There’s something about Thomas for me … There’s stardust there.
“I can’t exactly say what it is but it’s something special. It’s the X-factor that we all look for. I’m not sure you can learn it, I think it’s God-given. And to this day he still has it.”
Barry describes his friend as someone with “zero ego” and says they often exchange late-night messages.
“He’s quite sporadic, they can come at any time. His mind never switches off,” Barry revealed.
“For both of us, there’s always another clip, there’s always another training session, there’s always another game. Enough is never enough.
“He is constantly on, he is obsessed with building teams and building players.
“That’s why we’re so aligned. The messages can come at any hour but I have to be honest, I can answer at any hour as well.”
England developing ‘brotherhood’
Barry also said building a “brotherhood” could help England to World Cup glory.
That desire to build the spirit has been highlighted by Tuchel’s eye-catching selections, where he has repeatedly left high-profile players out of the group.
Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden were notable absentees for the first two international camps of the season, but were named in the German’s most recent squad for the final World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania next week.
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Barry, who also stressed the need to search for a best England XI instead of striving to include players with the biggest profile, said added that he believes the key to success is building an unbreakable spirit rather than trying to recreate successful club teams.
“The mission was clear, try to win the second star. Try to win the World Cup for England,” he said.
“But beneath that, what are we trying to build. We’re trying to build ‘Team England.’
“International football is about connection. Connection to each other, the mission and the game model. Because for me, overall, if you create a brotherhood that can connect to the nation, then you have a chance.
“Who you are and what you represent is far more important than what you do.
“In international football, you will never create a team on the field that can play the way the Barcelona of old or the recent Man City, it’s simply impossible.
“But if you can create something, a brotherhood, a connection, an energy between each other, then that is the petrol in the car in international football.
“We have to build something here that they want to be a part of, this brotherhood, this Team England that they all want to be a part of to come here and play.”
England round off their World Cup qualifying campaign with games against Serbia and Albania this month.
