Aston Villa’s influence is being felt inside Portugal’s World Cup camp. Set-piece specialist Austin MacPhee is receiving praise for his work during the opening days of preparations.
Portugal have spent the first week of training with a strong focus on attacking play and finishing, according to A Bola. While much of the attention has naturally fallen on the players, the Portuguese newspaper highlights MacPhee’s growing role behind the scenes.
The Scot remains an important member of Unai Emery’s coaching staff at Aston Villa. He has also become one of the key figures in Roberto Martínez’s backroom team.
As Portugal step up preparations for the World Cup, MacPhee has reportedly been heavily involved in sessions focused on dead-ball situations.
Set-piece success at Aston Villa
A Bola points to Aston Villa’s numbers from the 2025/26 season as evidence of MacPhee’s impact. The Premier League side scored 18 goals from set-piece situations across all competitions. Excluding penalties of course.
Those goals accounted for 32% of Aston Villa’s overall total. This underlines the importance of a phase of play Emery’s side have consistently used to gain an advantage.
The newspaper notes that set-piece work has been incorporated into every Portugal training session so far. Multiple variations are being tested ahead of the tournament.
MacPhee’s reputation in this area has grown steadily in recent years. He first established himself as a specialist coach with Northern Ireland. Afterwards, he worked at clubs including Midtjylland and Aston Villa.
Under Emery, his role has remained significant as Villa have continued to compete at the top end of the Premier League and in Europe.
Portugal benefiting from Villa expertise
The report shows MacPhee’s prominence is notable.
Portugal are using mechanical walls that rise to simulate defensive jumps during free-kick practice, while set-piece routines have become a regular feature of daily training.
According to A Bola, MacPhee has been one of the most active coaches involved in those sessions.
It serves as a reminder that one of the club’s specialist coaches continues to carry significant influence at international level.
If Portugal enjoy success from dead-ball situations in North America this summer, Villa supporters may recognise some familiar fingerprints behind it.
