9 Questions with Istvan Beregi

The pursuit of wisdom in any walk of life quickly reveals that what you think you know is not nearly enough to get you to where you want to go. As I'm starting out in my football journey I challenged myself to reach out to those already working in various roles in football to answer a short list of questions. My goal wasn't to get answers but relevant perspectives on the game within the game.

Here is Istvan Beregi:

What is your first memory of football?

My first memory is watching the 98 Euros with my brother (when I was 5), the semi-final of Italy-France, where Trezeguet scored the golden goal in the extra time. I remember I wasn't happy about that, as I was supporting Italy in that game. 

What attracted you to data and tactics? What’s more intriguing now, refining your processes and acumen or 'discovering' players?

Well, my idea is still to be a coach at one point, although until that I still wanted to do something in football to develop myself, so I turned towards tactics and that's how I became an analyst, after 2 years of self-development (autodidactic learning). 

For me is to constantly develop my understanding of the game, plus to find solutions about specific opponents or to improve our team. Then comes developing players in what I had good experiences, as players tend to be very open-minded about ideas/solutions, plus I learn a lot of them as well, about how they perceive the game from the inside.

What is the biggest misconception/cliche regarding tactics you’ve found in this space?

I find a tendency lately about a reductionist approach about tactics, to simplify everything, which I believe is not that easy. If something is complex, you can't make it to be "uncomplex", you have to work a lot on your understanding, although in order to prevent that, football people simplify the need and variety of tactics. 

If you could start over what skill would you build on first?

Probably to better convey the information, to narrow it down to key points, as I still overdose the information I believe, although I feel I've developed a lot in that regard over the 4 years I've been working in professional football.

What is more important domain knowledge or curiosity?

I would say knowledge, although you can only build knowledge if you are curious, so I think there is a connection between the two.

What is more useful in tactics- breadth of skills or depth of talent? Why?

Depth of talent, as if you are really good in something you can help the collective better, rather than being okay in a lot of areas, but not extraordinary in any of that. Although I would say depends on the collective highly, as if you don't have the system, you can't use either really well. If you compare, having a mediocre player in a good system is better than having a good player in a bad system.

What three (3) football icons would you want to have a meal with? Why?

Pep Guardiola - favourite coach

Toni Kroos - favourite player

Thomas Tuchel - open-minded to share ideas

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into this space?

Watch a lot of games to improve your game understanding and the way you personally approach games - creating your own 'glasses' to watch games. Nothing will improve you like this, there is no secret in that. 

What is your favorite quote or saying?

"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." - Vince Lombardi