Villa's lethal weapon takes on the World Cup

[Getty Images] The moment Youri Tielemans's opener burst the net in Aston Villa's Europa League triumph against Freiburg, each of Unai Emery's substitutes took a turn to embrace the man responsible for orchestrating another set-piece goal. Goalkeeper Emi Martinez chose not to celebrate with his outfield team-mates, instead racing over to the dugout to also show his appreciation to Scottish coach Austin MacPhee. Villa fans were heard chanting the name of the 46-year-old as their heroes on the pitch closed in on a 3-0 victory in Istanbul. Post-match, head coach Emery labelled the Scot a "fantastic creator". Striker Ollie Watkins hailed his "courage". Captain John McGinn described his countryman as a "great set-piece coach". And now, MacPhee takes to the World Cup with Portugal after joining Roberto Martinez's staff in February last year. It's is his five years at Villa Park that have undoubtedly brought him his greatest success, though. Villa scored more goals from set-pieces than any other side in Europe's top five leagues in 2023-24. The following season, only four clubs in those five divisions bettered their tally. In the most recent campaign, they were level with Arsenal for the most set-piece goals. MacPhee has achieved those staggering results through years of experience and meticulous preparation. Hours are spent on the training pitch and in analysis suites, and players are given homework in the form of animations and graphics sent to their phones. Amid the Europa League celebrations in Istanbul, Emery said: "We work on everything so hard and everything makes sense. "Congratulations to Austin too, he's very good at his job and we work very closely. He has so much experience and we know exactly what we are doing." A long-haired lad from Kirkcaldy might just prove to be the most lethal weapon at a World Cup. Not sure that has ever been said before, or will be said again. Read Nick's full piece on MacPhee here