Everything you need to know about Aston Villa’s set-piece coach Austin MacPhee, the man who turned Unai Emery’s side into one of the most clinical dead-ball teams in the world.
Villa’s success in the 2023/24 campaign can be linked to many things. While Unai Emery’s impact on the club has earned him widespread praise, the success of one of his Aston Villa coaching staff has gone under the radar.
Set-piece coach MacPhee has overseen remarkable success with Villa’s first team. The Birmingham outfit has become one of the deadliest sides in the world from corners and free-kicks.
In March, Emery’s side became the first team in Europe to score 20 goals from set-plays and that number has only continued to rise.
With the club hunting for Champions League success and the Europa Conference League title, MacPhee has clearly played a vital role in achieving this.
This article contains everything you need to know about MacPhee, from his bizarre footballing career to the reason why Villa have been so successful this season from set-plays.
Austin MacPhee age and height
MacPhee was born on October 11, 1979. This makes him 44-years-old at the time of writing and is 1.83 metres in height making him exactly six foot.
When did Aston Villa’s set-piece coach join the club?
Villa’s set-piece coach joined the club in August 2021. While he was appointed under Dean Smith’s regime, MacPhee has remained at the club throughout Steven Gerrard’s and Emery’s reign. He is the only coach that is still at Villa from 2021.
Austin MacPhee’s coaching coaching career
MacPhee hasn’t always been a set-piece coach. The Scotsman started his career as the Head Coach of Cupar Hearts before he left in 2008. From here, he became an assistant coach, taking up roles at Cowdenbeath, St. Mirren, Hearts and FC Midtjylland before joining Villa.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Monchi, the man behind Aston Villa’s transfer business.
Did Austin MacPhee play football?
Yes, MacPhee enjoyed a career on the pitch. However, he did not play for typical European clubs. The Aston Villa coach played in the USA and Romania before moving to Japan where he ended his career on the pitch.
Can the Villa coach speak Japanese?
After enjoying a successful few years in Japan, MacPhee picked up the Japanese tongue in the Asian country.
Why have Aston Villa become so deadly at set-pieces in the 2023/24 season?
The big question for Aston Villa fans is why the club has become so deadly from set-pieces this season. The club is seemingly scoring off a corner or a free-kick every other game. Yet, this was not the case in previous campaigns.
According to The Athletic, under Gerrard, MacPhee’s role had become diminished. However, upon Emery’s arrival at the club, the Spaniard recognised the important role his set-piece coach could play.
Now, additional time is given to MacPhee to work on new attacking and defensive routines while Emery also gets involved to reaffirm this message.
Ollie Watkins on Aston Villa’s set-piece training
Ollie Watkins told TNT Sports via BBC that he finds the work ‘not the most exciting’ and a ‘little boring’. However, it has clearly paid off with the utilisation of set-pieces getting Villa out of plenty of trickery situations throughout the campaign.
Is Austin MacPhee a Scotland coach?
MacPhee became the assistant Scotland coach in 2021, leaving his position in Northern Ireland. This role he does alongside his duties at Villa which has helped Scotland qualify for the 2024 European Championship in Germany this summer.
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