World Cup: England's Anthony Barry Ahead Of Norway

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1:16Listen on BBC Sounds. I have to ask you about your reaction to Gerald Kwanza and the two-game suspension. Disappointing. disappointing not with the decision just the fact that we lose a good player a fantastic player we believe he has a huge career ahead of him he was excelling in training and of course we have some injuries in that position so it looked like a space had opened up for Jarrell but the decision's been made we won't waste any more energy on it overall for us we lose a good player for two games but it's just another hurdle that we often overcome Now as far as you're concerned 20 years ago you were helping Accrington Stanley win the National League here you are now and you're 10 days away from potentially helping England win a World Cup how do you reflect?

2:11In shock at the question because 20 years ago I was really winning the league for Accrington I didn't know that I react to it now by it's my job that's what Thomas and I were brought in to do to try and help this fantastic team take a step towards winning the biggest title we all know Gareth done a huge amount of work in the past Thomas and our job was to come in and try and help us get over the line but there's still three steps to go three steps we intend to take and the first one of them is nowhere I was struck by a quote of yours in March that you gave to BBC Sport and you said that the team spirit, the fuel in the car is the team spirit so how is the tank looking at the moment?

3:00I think anybody that watched the Mexico game would see that the tank is full we think it's an absolute joy to work with these players every day if you could feel the spirit in the training grounds see the spirit around the hotel see the way they interact and it's just a pleasure to be around but then the most important thing for that is that it transfers to the pitch and I think for the first real, real time that everybody's seen that team spirit in Mexico, I think only a team that's together, that's unified, that the relationships are authentic and deep, could really overcome what was a huge obstacle in Mexico.

3:40It was already hard enough with the altitude with 11 players, but to arrive at 10 players, I've seen some people speak about Thomas and I's tactics and we get praise for this and praise for that. All the praise goes on the players and as I said, what got them over the line was this team spirit and this brotherhood that they built in the last 18 months. Is the worry now coming down both mentally and physically from the high and the elation of such an achievement that now you've got to get this focus right for Norway? No, it's certainly not a worry for me. If the next game was maybe a step down from Mexico, then you could have them concerned, but it's a work-off quarterfinal.

4:17so I don't think there will be any difficulty in motivating these players or them motivating themselves as I said they're three steps away from the biggest prize in world football and I don't think physical or emotional motivation will be a challenge for us Because I've been doing my homework and you did an interview with the Ritten Press back in November and you said the team that wins the World Cup will be one of moments it will be a team you're going to suffer in many ways that quote, that interview that you gave them is quite prophetic because that is England at the moment isn't it? England have been a team in moments and they have had to suffer a little bit and yet England are still in the competition We always felt that we're not so sure that even on international football when you have players for such a short period of time that you can build this fantastic football I think it's really really difficult so that's why we tried to build a team spirit and a brotherhood and I think with the heat, with all of the travel, with the eighth game at the end of a long, long Premier League season, I think it's just about finding the moments, taking the moments when they come, that you won't play the most amazing aesthetic football for 90 minutes.

5:28I think that's, we will be searching for the wrong goal. I think what we are searching for is to go step by step, find a way to win each game. And right now then players are doing it and of course we suffered in the last game. I think that there's something beautiful about suffering like that and coming through and coming over the line. And hopefully now that serves as a base for the players to really take the handbrake off and go for the next 11 days. If England do go all the way, from the Panama match on the 27th of June, you're looking at six games in a 22-day period. Give us some insight as to the demands that you and the players and Thomas Stuckel, everybody faces if you are to be successful.

6:11it's a challenge of course but it's something that we were aware of before the tournament it's something that thomas and i have built a schedule for many months how to periodize our energy how to periodize the training there's no shock to us we knew that every hour counts in between games how to use it whether that's resting well whether that's training well whether that's eating well all of the above that we try to take care of every hour in between each game because it's crucially important. The schedule is a challenge but it was the same for all the other 48 teams, it's the same for the other seven teams remaining so it's no shock to us and that's maybe the gift for these players as well, they're used to playing every three or four days, these are world class players, world class athletes, everyone's prepared for the last step.

6:54We just come on the back of two days off, we always knew if we got through Mexico that the players would have two days to breathe and to recalibrate and get ready to go again and we've certainly seen that re-energised team in training the last two days. And when you talk about that schedule and I actually wanted to ask Thomas this when I spoke to him at West Palm Beach before the World Cup started with it being his first international tournament is that is that his sort of like vision or is he leaning on you with your experience from from Belgium at the World Cup? I think we always lean on each other of course he's the boss and makes the decisions and rightly so because it's world-class at that but we lean on each other for everything we share ideas we brainstorm of course we speak about my experiences with Portugal and with with Belgium it'd be stupid not to but overall we're quite creative people and every time a challenge comes to us we look back we use evidence from the past but we try to find our own way and right now we're navigating through the waters we arrived with 11 days left three more steps and as I said it's three steps that we intend to take.

8:01So what is the dynamic like between the two of you? Excellent we spend a lot of time together whether that's work and now or personal we spend a lot of time on the phone on teams meetings in St George's Park now we're in the hotel together 24-7 so it's it's all in it's a relationship there as a young English coach for me it's a gift to be around a manager like him. He is, in my opinion, absolutely world-class and right now he is in his best moment, on his best form, really in the deep waters of a competition is when I think he comes to his best and I think the players see and feel that at the moment.

8:41So 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. and you've been together for three years what do you think are the attributes of you that he values you so highly I think it's probably a question for him I don't know if he values me so highly I don't know how he feels I think he does I'm speaking to him I just think that we we work together well we both have the same aspirations that's right when the biggest titles we are both completely completely healthily obsessed I would say, football is our life, when we got offered an opportunity in a job like this we knew it would take absolutely everything from us but we were both willing to give it as I said it's been 18 months of work, 18 months of really in the trenches together but we're on the last leg now, there's light at the end of the tunnel and it's just about staying together Thomas and I stay connected and trust our skill set to try and get these players over the line.

9:47And what about the challenge of Norway that lies ahead? A great challenge, another fantastic challenge. I love their fans, I love their celebrations, I love their colours. I think this is what the World Cup's all about. We'll have two of the best sets of supporters in the whole tournament together in Miami. I think it'd be an amazing spectacle. I think they have many players there. Everybody knows whether it's Odegaard, whether it's Harland, whether it's Solof. They have some fantastic offensive players, but overall they're a little bit like us. They're a team. They're a real team. They run for each other.

10:19They fight for each other. You can tell that they have a good relationship between the team and the nation. Now everybody's together and on one side and pulling in the same direction, and that's powerful. But as I said, the way I would describe them, I would also describe us. So it's two teams going head-to-head in Miami, and we'll be ready. It would be wrong just to focus on Haaland, though, wouldn't it? Of course. As I said, it's a team. They're excellent at set-pieces. they have other threats the front line is full of threats playing in some of the biggest teams in Europe Hodor Garda is obviously a Premier League winner and captain now so they've beaten some good teams to arrive where they are it's no shock and there's no fluke at this stage of the tournament whoever's in the last state with us deserves it and they have our full respect we're preparing properly for the game as I said our players had two days off we came back in now full focus on Norway and it's step one of three And do you dare to dream at this stage?

11:17We've been dreaming for 18 months. I think when you're in elite sport, dreaming is one of the most important things. But a dream is just a dream without work and without goals and with daily input. We're trying to keep both alive. Every night we go to bed excited about what could be. But we wake up the next morning totally focused on the job in hand and working as hard and as smart as we can on a daily basis. And I hear you're a bit of a star at half-time. Some people keep saying, but I certainly wouldn't call myself a star, just a person doing his job. We get asked to do a question at half-time.

11:52The decision was whether Thomas or I would do it. We didn't want to put the responsibility onto a player. Thomas does more than enough media, so it's my turn to share the workload. It would be nice if you had three more interviews to do at half-time, wouldn't it? Then I wouldn't be complaining about it. Absolutely not. Good luck. Thank you.

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