The Scottish set-piece guru plotting Portugal's World Cup glory

From Cupar Hearts to the World Cup

Austin MacPhee, the 46-year-old set-piece coach, has taken an unusual path in football. Starting as manager of amateur side Cupar Hearts, he has worked with Northern Ireland, the Scotland national team, and is now part of Portugal's setup. MacPhee joined Roberto Martinez's staff in February last year, five months after stepping down from his role with Scotland to care for his ill father.

Success at Aston Villa

MacPhee's greatest success has come at Aston Villa, where he has been for five years. In the 2023-24 season, Villa scored more set-piece goals than any other team in Europe's top five leagues. The following season, only four clubs bettered their tally. In the most recent campaign, they were level with Arsenal for the most set-piece goals. Head coach Unai Emery called MacPhee a "fantastic creator," and striker Ollie Watkins praised his "courage."

Criticism and Support

MacPhee faced unfair criticism during his time in Scotland, especially when he was Hearts' caretaker manager. However, Michael O'Neill, who worked with him for six years at Northern Ireland, defended him, highlighting MacPhee's deep knowledge of opponents and creative training methods. MacPhee was instrumental in Northern Ireland's historic Euro 2016 qualification.

Preparation and Methods

MacPhee relies on meticulous preparation, spending hours on the training pitch and in analysis rooms. Players receive homework in the form of animations and graphics sent to their phones. After the Europa League victory in Istanbul, Emery said: "We work on everything so hard and everything makes sense."