Perhaps you have seen the video of Thierno Barry in tears after a one-on-one session last season. The Everton striker was doing extra work with his individual coach when it all became too much. Struggling for form, he felt unable to train his way back into it.
Sometimes there is an assumption that every top player is living the dream, but when things are not going well and the whole world is watching, it can feel like a nightmare. "That was real emotion," Scott Chickelday tells Sky Sports. "They were true tears." Chickelday is the coach who was taking that session with Barry that day, trying to coax him into continuing. "He was on the floor when I met him and that video obviously shows it," he says.
Barry's decision to share the footage is a sign that he is in a better place now. There are still those who might argue it is a risk in a robust industry to reveal any vulnerability. "It could have gone two ways for him," concedes Chickelday. The response, however, has been supportive. "When you play badly as a player you get labelled for picking up your money and not caring. That video, a lot of Everton supporters have looked at it and thought, 'you know what, yes, he does bloody care'."
The very fact that Barry sought out Chickelday says plenty about his desire. He has had a big pre-season, putting himself in extra camps to get fit and mentally tougher, and the result is that he has come back mentally stronger. Barry scored in Everton's opening-weekend victory over Crystal Palace, scored a hat-trick in the cup win at Preston, and last time out scored the match-winning goal against Ipswich. "We worked on his finishing and he has come back flying," says Chickelday, who calls Barry one of the nicest people he has met.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing