Thomas Tuchel has been head coach of FC Bayern since late March. Alongside Prof Dr Holger Broich (scientific director and head of fitness) and Michael Rechner (goalkeeping coach), the coaching staff is completed by Arno Michels, Zsolt Löw and Anthony Barry. We introduce you to Tuchel's three assistants in more detail - in part three: Anthony Barry.
Barry joined the coaching staff at Bayern at the end of April after arriving from Chelsea. The Englishman completes Tuchel’s trio of assistants alongside Michels and Löw. “We’re here to win. That’s the goal when you come to Bayern. It’s a big club with a big history. I’m happy and proud to be here,” Barry said.
Familiar working environment in the team
Thomas Tuchel and Anthony Barry first worked together at Chelsea before reuniting at Bayern.
Tuchel met Barry when the pair worked together at Chelsea. “Our relationship is very respectful and friendly,” the 36-year-old explained. “I admired Thomas from the first day. We have a lot of parallels – how we work and how we see football. We try to push each other and to improve.” The work within the coaching team is generally “very familiar and close”, according to Barry. “That allows us to work at a very high level because we can be completely honest with each other. We talk very openly, discuss our ideas and always try to find the best solution.”
The Liverpool native was a player himself up till 2017 and played in England’s third-tier League One. The former midfielder then started out as assistant coach at Wigan Athletic, before moving to Chelsea in 2020 and assisting Tuchel during his stint in charge from January 2021 to September 2022. Barry also has experience working as an assistant for the Ireland, Belgium and Portugal national teams.
The set-piece specialist
Barry is regarded as a specialist with set pieces, already working on corners, free-kicks and other scenarios with different training routines at Bayern.
As well as everyday work in training, Barry is in charge of set pieces at Bayern. “As a top team, you need to be top at set pieces. It’s an important area for us that we want to work on,” he stressed. Tuchel has praised his assistant’s meticulous nature in this area: “His work with set pieces at Chelsea was on a completely new level for me.”
As a top team, you need to be top at set pieces. It’s an important area for us that we want to work on.
Anthony Barry
Goal to coach in German
His coaching colleagues highlight Barry’s hard work alongside his great energy and love of football. The Englishman also wants to demonstrate that away from football and learn German as quickly as possible. “It’s not a problem right now that I’m coaching in English. Most players understand it. But my goal is to also be able to coach in German,” said Barry, who finished his interview with a “danke”.
Barry is the newest member of Tuchel’s backroom staff. Arno Michels has been working with him for almost 20 years:
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