Lokacin da bugun Youri Tielemans ya tarwatse ragar cikin nasarar Aston Villa ta 3-0 a Europa League kan Freiburg a Istanbul, duk wanda yake a benci ya yi layi don rungumi mutumin da ya shirya waccan dama — kocin Scotland Austin MacPhee. Mai tsaron gida Emi Martinez ya wuce 'yan wasan filin tare ba tare da tsayawa ba, yana gudu zuwa akwatin suna don nuna godiyarsa da fuska da fuska. Magoya bayan Villa sun rera sunan MacPhee yayin da ƙarshen lokaci ya kusanto.

Babban koci Unai Emery ya kira shi "mai kirƙira na ban mamaki." Mai harbi Ollie Watkins ya yaba masa da "jaruntaka." Kyaftin John McGinn, ɗan ƙasarsa, ya bayyana shi a taƙaice a matsayin "babban koci na set-piece."

Daga ƙwallon ƙafa mai son zuciya zuwa matakin duniya

Tafarkin MacPhee a cikin wasanni bai kasance na al'ada ba. A matsayin dan wasan, ya tashi daga matasa na Forfar Athletic zuwa ƙwallon ƙafa na kwalejin Amurka tare da Wilmington Seahawks, sa'an nan Romania da Japan. Aikinsa na koyarwa ya fara a matakin al'umma, yana jagorantar Cupar Hearts zuwa ƙarshen wasan kofin Amateur na Scotland kafin ya yi aiki a Cowdenbeath, St Mirren, Hearts, da kuma shekara mai mahimmanci a kulob ɗin Denmark Midtjylland — wanda aka fi sani da cibiyar ƙwararrun set-piece.

Yayin da yake gudanar da ayyukansa a Scotland, MacPhee a lokaci guda yana gudanar da kamfanin tafiye-tafiye na wasanni, ya mallaki kulob ɗin al'umma kuma yana leƙen ƙwararru ga Mexico a Kofin Duniya na 2014 a Brazil. Wannan faɗin ƙwarewa ya nuna koci wanda ba ya tafiya hanya ɗaya kai tsaye.

Ya taka muhimmiyar rawa wajen cancanta Ireland ta Arewa a tarihi don Euro 2016 a ƙarƙashin Michael O'Neill, wanda ya kare MacPhee daga zargi yana cewa: "Austin yana kawo ƙwarewa mai girma game da abokin hamayyar, hanya mai kirkira na horarwa kuma yana da kirkira wajen kawo bayanai ga masu wasa," in ji O'Neill.

Tarihin samar da maƙasudi daga set-piece a Villa Park

Shine takardar shaidar shekaru biyar a Aston Villa da ta kafa sunan MacPhee. A kakar 2023-24, Villa sun zura ƙwallaye mafi yawa daga set-piece fiye da kowace kulob a ƙoƙarin manyan ƙungiyoyi biyar na Turai. A kakar da ta biyo baya, kulob huɗu kawai a cikin waɗannan ɓangarorin sun wuce jimlarsu. A kakar da ta gabata, sun yi daidai da Arsenal don mafi yawan ƙwallaye daga set-piece.

MacPhee yana cimma waɗannan sakamakon ta hanyar ɗaruruwan awowi a filin horarwa, nazarin bidiyo mai zurfi, da kuma ayyukan gida da ake aika wa 'yan wasan kai tsaye zuwa wayoyinsu a cikin nau'i na zane-zane da zane-zane na dabarun wasa. Bayan ƙarshen wasan Europa League, Emery ya ce: "Taya murna wa Austin ma, yana aiki da kyau sosai kuma muna aiki tare sosai. Yana da ƙwarewa mai girma kuma mun san ainihin abin da muke yi."

Makamar Portugal a Kofin Duniya

MacPhee ya shiga ma'aikatan Roberto Martinez tare da Portugal a watan Fabrairu 2024, watanni biyar bayan barin mukaminsa tare da Scotland na Steve Clarke — wanda ya bar saboda kulawar mahaifinsa mai rashin lafiya. Ya taimaka wajen cancanta Scotland don Euro 2024 a tsawon shekaru uku da shi, kodayake haɗin gwiwar ya ƙare da faɗa a gefen fili a lokacin gasar a Jamus, wanda Clarke ya ambata da ban dariyarsa ta yau da kullum: "Yana da dogon gashi mai ruwan zinariya, amma ba zan rungume shi ba."

Portugal suna fuskantar Spain a zagayen ƙarshe na 16 na Kofin Duniya a ranar Litinin, 6 Yuli a Dallas (20:00 BST), yaron shekara 46 daga Kirkcaldy na iya zama makamar da ba a zata ba ta gasar — ba a filin ba, sai dai daga akwatin suna, takardunsa a hannunsa.