Meet Austin MacPhee: the Scot behind Villa’s set-pieces and Portugal’s World Cup bid

A Scottish coach with an unmistakable mop of blonde hair is fast becoming one of European football’s most sought-after minds, and he now has Portugal dreaming of World Cup glory. Austin MacPhee, the set-piece specialist who helped Aston Villa lift the Europa League, is playing a central role in Roberto Martinez’s Portugal set-up as they push through the knockout stages in America this summer, according to BBC Sport.

MacPhee’s influence at Villa Park was laid bare when Youri Tielemans’ opener flew in during Villa’s 3-0 Europa League final win over Freiburg in Istanbul. BBC Sport reports that every one of the Premier League club’s substitutes rushed to embrace the 46-year-old in the dugout, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez racing over rather than joining his outfield team-mates on the pitch.

From Cowdenbeath to the Champions League

MacPhee’s path to the top has been anything but conventional. BBC Sport traces a career that took him from Forfar Athletic’s youth ranks to American college football, spells in Romania and Japan as a player, and coaching stints at Cupar Hearts, Cowdenbeath, St Mirren and Hearts, where he even took interim charge of the first team in 2019.

He also spent time scouting for Mexico at the 2014 World Cup while simultaneously working with Hearts and running his own sports travel firm and community football club, according to the report. A year at Danish side Midtjylland, long regarded as a breeding ground for set-piece specialists, further shaped his approach before he linked up with Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland.

O’Neill, who worked alongside MacPhee for six years including during Northern Ireland’s historic Euro 2016 qualification, defended his former assistant against criticism back in Scotland. “Austin brings a high level of knowledge on the opposition, a creative way to train and he’s creative in how he brings information to the players,” O’Neill said, as quoted by BBC Sport.

Three years with Scotland

MacPhee also spent three years on Steve Clarke’s Scotland coaching staff, helping the national side qualify for Euro 2024, before stepping away to care for his ill father. BBC Sport notes a touchline disagreement between the pair during that tournament in Germany, which Clarke later played down by joking: “He’s got long blonde hair, but I’m not going to give him a cuddle.”

MacPhee joined Martinez’s Portugal backroom staff in February last year and has now added international dead-ball work, including with Cristiano Ronaldo, to his remit alongside his Villa duties.

Villa’s set-piece dominance

The numbers behind MacPhee’s five years at Villa Park are striking. BBC Sport reports that Villa scored more set-piece goals than any other side across Europe’s top five leagues in the 2023-24 season, were bettered by only four clubs the following campaign, and finished level with Arsenal for the most set-piece goals in the most recent season.

Villa boss Unai Emery has been effusive in his praise, describing MacPhee as a “fantastic creator”, while striker Ollie Watkins hailed his “courage” and captain John McGinn called him a “great set-piece coach”, according to BBC Sport. Emery added after the Europa League triumph: “We work on everything so hard and everything makes sense.”

With Portugal continuing their World Cup campaign in the United States, MacPhee’s meticulous preparation, built on years of analysis and homework sent directly to players’ phones, could yet prove decisive on the biggest stage of all.