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.
What is your favorite memory of Danish football?
From club level football, my favourite memory is also my first memory of attending a football at a stadium.
It was the infamous Brøndby 5-0 win against the arch rivals FC Copenhagen in 2005. It was the best Brøndby team for the last 25 years, with Michael Laudrup as coach and players like Daniel Agger and Johan Elmander.
I don't remember much from the game itself but I just recall the atmosphere being so electric and happy full grown men dancing in the stands and after the game.
A game that sparked the joy for me in football.
In regards to the Danish national team it is the goal from Jakob Poulsen in 2009 against arch-rivals Sweden which secured a 1-0 win and qualification for Denmark to the 2010 World Cup.
What attracted you to data? What’s more intriguing now names or numbers?
I like data as it can substantiate or reject the sight you have of a certain match, team or player, and provide another view that isn't visible without the insights of data.
Furthermore, if you have knowledge about how to leverage the huge amount of data available today, you can help the club make better decisions on and off the pitch, and help players improve their performance.
I certainly haven't come to the point where I just see players as a row of numbers. The playing style and expression of a player still has a big impact on my impression of the player.
What Danish player who plays abroad do you enjoy the most? Why?
Today Denmark is blessed with many players abroad, which wasn't the case just 3-5 years ago, so the choice has become much more difficult.
At the moment I really enjoy the Danish centerbacks in the Premier League, Andreas Christensen, Jannick Vestergaard and Joachim Andersen. Especially how Joachim Andersen has taken the armband and impacted the Fulham defense is very impressive after a period in Lyon where his abilities were questioned after being the most expensive transfer involving a Danish player ever.
What is the biggest misconception/cliche regarding data you’ve found in this space?
I think the biggest misconception is that people who work with data in football believe that data and statistics always is the only way you can evaluate a player or teams performance.
If you could start over what skill would you build on first?
The basic programming skills are hugely invaluable.
What is more important for Denmark’s growth as a football nation - national team performances or domestic and continental league improvements?
That is a very good and hard question to answer.
I believe that the success of the national team can inspire many young girls and boys to pursue the career of being a football player, and thus drive the development of Danish football.
But on the other hand, means domestic success more money and a greater reputation of the Danish clubs. This will lead to Danish clubs being able to invest more in youth development and e.g. the use of data within the club. It can furthermore extract more young foreign players to the league and Denmark can evolve as a league that can perform and extract attraction from the rest of Europe.
So overall I believe that domestic success overall will have the largest positive effect, but it is certainly very close between the two.
Do you feel like data is being utilized more in Denmark? Why?
I certainly believe that many clubs in Denmark, and the national team, are following the global trend of investing time and money into the use of data as a tool to improve transfer spendings, playing style, recovery etc.
In Denmark are FC Midtjylland, with their connection to Brentford through Matthew Bentham and Rasmus Ankersen, on the front foot of using data in sports, which are driving other clubs in Denmark in that direction. Especially the increase of FC Midtjyllands performances in the past few years has increased the use of data in Danish football.
Although, I still believe there is more potential in the use of data in Danish clubs. The budgets in Danish clubs are generally quite low, so the clubs have to prioritize the people and equipment necessary for utilizing data to its full potential. A conclusion not all clubs have reached yet.
What coach or player in Denmark is the next big thing? Why?
I believe that the next big asset Danish player out the Danish 3F Superliga is going to be Jonas Wind from FC Copenhagen. At 22 he is leading the front line of the strongest squad in Denmark, and he is at the moment the number one striker for the Danish national team.
He is not only a good goalscorer, but he is also very capable of dropping deep and play as a number 10.
A younger player, who is getting a lot of attention in Denmark these days, is 17 years old Wahid Faghir from Vejle BK. He has been called up for the U21 European Championships and is the second youngest player at the tournament after a certain Youssoufa Moukoko.
What Scandinavia league outside of Denmark do you watch the most? Why?
To be honest I don't really follow any other Scandinavian leagues.
What is your favorite quote or saying?
“If you can't support us when we lose or draw, don't support us when we win” - Bill Shankly
A very simple quote, but it captures an important point when I'm watching football.
Don't be overly happy in progress and don't be overly disappointed in adversity. This makes it much more possible to make well considered decisions and don't be influenced by disturbing external factors in pressured situations.
