A piece from The Athletic
ASTON VILLA, PORTUGAL AND THE FREE-KICK TECHNOLOGY THAT ASSISTED THREE GOALS IN TWO WEEKS
What do Emiliano Buendia, Joao Neves and Morgan Rogers have in common?
All three have scored near-perfect knuckleball free kicks in recent weeks to leave opposition goalkeepers looking like they’re stuck in the mud. Joao Neves did it in Portugal’s 9-1 victory against Armenia, while Buendia and Rogers did it for Aston Villa in Premier League wins over Bournemouth (4-0) and Leeds United (2-1)
Another link between them all was Austin MacPhee smiling on the sidelines. MacPhee, the chief constructor behind each of the goals, is Villa’s set-piece coach and the assistant coach of Portugal.
Under MacPhee’s guidance at Villa, both Buendia and Rogers have developed a top-spinning shot technique that, if executed correctly, seems impossible for the goalkeeper to keep out. And while coaching with Portugal, MacPhee has been getting into Neves and the rest of the national squad, with the one-time king of the knuckleball, Cristiano Ronaldo, also open and receptive to new work at 40.
But aside from MacPhee, perhaps the biggest influence is the Trackman launch monitor, which is full of game-changing data and most often seen on the driving ranges at professional golf events. This bright orange box provides instant live feedback that has helped revolutionise the way the world’s best golfers measure their shots.
Two years ago, The Athletic reported how this technology was starting to make an impact in football, and this season appears to be its crowning moment.
Bayer Leverkusen left-back Alex Grimaldo scored three direct free kicks in back-to-back matches in September and celebrated with a golf swing, referring to the work with Trackman. Villa, the first English top-flight club to use the technology — on MacPhee’s recommendation — scored in back-to-back Premier League games through Buendia and Rogers. With Neves added to the list, Trackman-trained players are coming to the fore.
Goalkeeping coaches across the country recognise the growing difficulties their players are facing as clubs become more creative with attacking set-piece plans. The top-spinning method is increasingly seen as one of the most effective ways of scoring from a direct free kick, and it’s no secret that hours of preparation have gone into each one.
Buendia started working with MacPhee on a new technique over two years ago, and his shooting practice in training replicates the goal he scored against Bournemouth.
It’s the same for Rogers, who has also been working hard on mastering the technique. The goal he scored against Leeds United is almost identical to the work in training, as he opts for an offshoot of the knuckleball, emphasising getting the ball up and down quickly.
Players use Trackman to see metrics such as ball speed, spin rate and distance. Striving for innovation, Villa built their own ‘defensive wall’ at the Bodymoor Heath complex to assist in set-piece training. Standing at 8'10' (2.4 metres), taller than any Premier League player, including Newcastle United’s Dan Burn 6'6" (1.98m), it’s recognised as a crucial addition, allowing for jumping height against real defenders. Trackman also shows the ball’s height when clearing the wall.
In training, Rogers and Buendia can strike a 20-yard free kick with a peak height of 2.58m while still hitting the target, giving them the confidence to replicate the technique on a matchday. They know that if they connect properly, there’s no chance of any defender blocking their attempt.
The individual brilliance of the strike is only one factor, though, and both of Villa’s successful free kicks are examples of well-orchestrated team goals due to the positioning of other players.
To block the goalkeeper’s view of the free-kick taker, Villa add their own players to the defending wall. That’s why Leeds United’s Lucas Perri barely moved and simply watched Rogers’ free kick sail into the empty net.
It was the same for Bournemouth’s Djordje Petrovic, who could do nothing to stop Buendia as the wall blocked his view and the Argentine playmaker executed the strike perfectly.
“When we showed a very high-profile former goalkeeper about Trackman, it blew his mind,” said Trackman’s head of football, Jordan Garbutt.
“He said that, in his day, players couldn’t be so close to goal and get the ball up and down so effectively, and that a very close free kick was not so much of a threat. But now, these top-spinners are suddenly an issue.”
Villa are benefiting from the strong set-piece culture at the club, heavily supported by the manager, Unai Emery. They go into great detail around set pieces, and even use Rezzil, a virtual-reality training aid, to get a better view of specific positions on the pitch so they can position their own players accordingly.
The reason Villa’s extended wall stands specifically with their legs closed on attacking free kicks, for example, is that it further restricts the goalkeeper’s view, making a goal more likely.
In the last two seasons, Villa have scored the most set-piece goals in Europe. This season, they matched a Premier League record by scoring three set-piece goals in a game against Bournemouth.
Portugal, meanwhile, followed that up with four set-piece goals in their hammering of Armenia, and manager Roberto Martinez told The Athletic he’s enjoying the sharper focus on the marginal gains in that department with MacPhee by his side.
“Austin is very creative and transmits passion for his work,“ Martinez says. “He’s got a real knack for connecting with the player and that’s what makes him so good at his job.”
Martinez first used Trackman in 2019 when he was the Belgium manager, but admits he has never seen any staff member use it so effectively as his assistant coach.
“Austin uses it really well and that helps a lot with our preparation. We’ve always been able to measure the movements of the players, but to measure the movement of the ball — and give the player that feedback — is game-changing.”
Asked whether he feels for goalkeepers, Martinez added: “Let’s be honest, football needs more goals.”
But goalkeepers do use Trackman for their own preparation, although it is largely focused on distribution.
“Once the ball-striking capability of these well-rehearsed players becomes well known, goalkeepers will assume they know what is coming,” Garbutt says. “Perhaps they will preempt this and move early, but this is the stick-or-twist moment because players practise shooting both sides.”
A clear example of that is Neves, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, who kicks with more side spin, but is brilliant at converting into either corner. By using Trackman in his set-piece training, Neves has gained more confidence to step up and convert, as he showed for Portugal this month.
Several Premier League and Champions League clubs use Trackman, as well as international teams, although they preferred not to be named in this article.
What’s changed over the last two years, however, is that lower-level teams have also started to get on board, searching for the marginal on-field gains that will edge them clear of the pack.
A sharp focus on attacking play, creativity and scoring more goals can only be good for the game. If new technology enhances that, clubs will continue to lean in.
