How Aston Villa Became the Premier League’s Free-Kick Outliers

Morgan Rogers’ stunning free kick against Leeds United wasn’t just a brilliant moment of individual quality, it was the latest example of Aston Villa’s growing reputation as one of the most dangerous set-play teams in the Premier League. Only a week earlier, Emiliano Buendia had opened the scoring with a remarkably similar strike. Two different players, two different matches, but almost identical outcomes. 

Had Buendia not been substituted, Rogers may never have stepped up to take the free kick against Leeds. Yet the fact that both players were capable of producing such comparable goals is telling. These moments were not isolated expressions of talent, they were the product of a system, a process, and a coach who has quietly become one of the most influential figures in modern set-play design: Austin MacPhee.

A Rare Premier League Skill

Direct free-kick goals have become increasingly scarce in the modern game. Across the first 252 Premier League matches of the season, 98 direct free kicks have been taken but only six have resulted in goals. That gives a conversion rate of just over 6%.

Even more revealing is that only five teams have scored a direct free-kick goal at all. Among them, Aston Villa stand alone as the only club to have scored twice. When viewed alongside the near-identical nature of the two goals, it becomes difficult to view this as random chance. Instead, it suggests a broader, more sophisticated framework at play.

The MacPhee Blueprint: Detail, Repetition and Cutting-Edge technology

Austin MacPhee is widely recognised as one of football’s most forward-thinking set-play specialists. His impact at Aston Villa goes far beyond designing clever routines; it lies in the precision, detail and structure he brings to every dead-ball scenario. What truly sets him apart, however, is his willingness to incorporate cutting-edge technology into the training environment, technology that gives Villa players a genuine competitive edge.

One of the standout tools in Villa’s set-play arsenal is Trackman, an advanced radar-based ball-tracking system most commonly associated with elite golf. To many outside the game, the idea of golf technology shaping Premier League outcomes may feel surprising. For MacPhee, it is logical. Trackman captures minute details of every free-kick attempt: the ball’s speed, spin, trajectory, height, angle, even its exact strike point. This data is instantly paired with synchronised video that shows the player’s technique in real time.

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The system creates an environment where players can understand precisely why the ball moved in a certain way and, crucially, how to repeatedly produce the strike they want. The 3D visualisation of defensive walls and goalkeeper positioning allows free-kick takers to rehearse match-specific scenarios with a level of accuracy that traditional training simply cannot provide.

Players no longer practise “free kicks” in broad strokes. They practise their free kicks—their technique, their optimal angles, their unique ball flight. Over weeks and months, these insights build individual player profiles that allow MacPhee and the coaching staff to determine who is most effective from particular areas of the pitch and which types of strike are most likely to beat goalkeepers in real game situations.

All of this helps to explain why, after scoring against Leeds, Morgan Rogers immediately sprinted towards MacPhee on the touchline. The celebration was more than emotional—it was a recognition of the hours of specific, data-driven coaching they had invested together on the training pitch.

Rogers captured this sentiment perfectly in his post-match interview:

“Emi’s been practising and I’ve tried to practise with him; I’m not as good as him. I’m happy that went in.”

His humility masks the truth: both he and Buendia have clearly benefited from the same structured, repeatable process.

A Technique Rooted in Football History

While Trackman represents a new era of set-play training, the free kicks themselves draw on techniques the Premier League has seen from some of its greatest players. The “knuckleball-style” strike, famously used by Cristiano Ronaldo and later refined by Kevin De Bruyne is a clear influence on both Villa goals.

De Bruyne has previously described the mechanics of this technique in detail: choosing a space just above the defensive wall, striking the ball with a straight and controlled run-up, and making contact slightly above the centre to produce topspin and a late, sharp dip. Unlike traditional whipped free kicks, this method prioritises precision and deception over pure curl. It is a technique that punishes goalkeepers by forcing them to react late and guess wrong.

What Aston Villa have done so effectively is merge the artistry of this technique with the modern science of Trackman. Traditional mastery meets technological refinement. And the results, as we have seen, are becoming increasingly predictable.

A Glimpse Into Set Plays Next Evolution

Aston Villa’s rise as a set-play force is not simply the result of talent, fortune or one-off moments. It is the product of a deliberate shift in how the club approaches dead-ball situations, one led by a coach who is widely regarded as one of the best set-play specialists in world football.

Austin MacPhee has created a system in which technology is not a gimmick but a tool for genuine competitive advantage. By integrating Trackman into Villa’s everyday training environment, he has allowed players to refine their free kicks with scientific accuracy and replicate that quality under match pressure.

The outcome is clear: Aston Villa are scoring goals that most teams struggle to even attempt. And as long as MacPhee continues to combine world-class coaching with groundbreaking technology, these moments are unlikely to remain rare.

Aston Villa’s success is no accident—it is the logical result of elite expertise meeting innovative tools, producing outcomes on the pitch that other teams will now be racing to replicate.