TL trexx: "I don't think this loss is a big deal"

TL trexx: "I don't think this loss is a big deal"

Team Liquid player Nikita "trexx" Cherednichenko reflected on the 0-2 loss to FUT Esports in the upper-bracket quarterfinal of VCT 2026: EMEA Stage 2. In a post-match interview with Sheep Esports on August 20, he explained what went wrong in the series and why he remains confident about Liquid's chances ahead of the elimination match against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Liquid failed to close out Haven
Team Liquid led 9-3 after the opening half of Haven and also won the second pistol round. However, FUT recovered and completed the comeback before closing the series on Summit.

We lost the comeback on Haven, which we shouldn't have. We had pretty good reads on how they play on defense, and I had some understanding of how they approach attack as well. It just didn't work out. On Summit, they had never shown the map before, and they played this interesting comp with a lot of abilities that no one had experienced before. Now it's a double Duelist meta, and I think people forgot how to play against double Initiator or agents like astra . I think we just got overwhelmed with the abilities, and we didn't find a way to adjust. On defense, we could have come back as well, but it was still hard.

trexx believes the turning point on Haven came immediately after Liquid claimed the second pistol round. FUT answered with a successful force-buy and began finding openings across the map.

After the first half, we were 9-3, and then we won the pistol. They force-bought, but we went into the sites where they were, and they just bombed us with stuff. It all started from there. After that, it was hard to understand where the gaps on the map were because they were all over the place.

Three weeks of preparation before the playoffs
Liquid qualified directly for the playoffs and had approximately three weeks without an official match. During that period, the team focused on expanding and refining its map pool.

We were improving our maps because we're playing six maps out of seven. We've been grinding, improving the maps themselves, and adding more on top of most maps.

The player was generally satisfied with Liquid's group-stage run. He highlighted the return of Ayaz " nAts " Akhmetshin and the match against Karmine Corp as important moments for identifying the team's weaknesses.

I think the group stage was good for us. We couldn't play the first game with nAts , and then when he came back, we started winning. We had some momentum in the group stage. KC gave us a fight, and it was good to watch it, understand our gaps and weaknesses, and improve as well.

trexx evaluates his return to competition
Speaking about his individual form, trexx admitted that he struggled to find his place against FUT because he focused too heavily on the team's positioning and calls.

Not this game, but overall, yes. This game was a bit rough for me. I felt like I had good reads in terms of what people do on the map because I had some good calls, but I just couldn't find my place individually. I've been focusing too much on how to outplay them in terms of positioning as a team rather than individually, and I think that's what I struggled with today. Overall, I think I've been performing well since the group stage, even though I didn't play for almost a year. The group stage was good for me. Now it's time to show it in the playoffs.

trexx also explained why he accepted Liquid's offer after spending several months away from official competition. According to the player, his previous spell with the organization ended without any conflict.

Even though I didn't play, I was still watching events. I saw that people were still not playing well. Even if I didn't play for six months because I was doing my health stuff, I knew that if I came back, I was still going to be better than a lot of teams or players, whoever I joined. There was no bad blood with Liquid, so as soon as they contacted me, I said, 'Of course, let's go.'

Liquid must handle the playoff pressure
The opening playoff match felt different from the group stage for Team Liquid . trexx noticed that the roster played more cautiously than it usually does in practice and official matches.

I think today we faced something we hadn't faced before: playing a game that matters. Obviously, every group-stage game matters, but today I felt like we were doing some things less than we do in practice or even in the group stage. We were more scared of doing something. We'll need to talk it through as a team. We are playing for Champions and Barcelona, and this is what you play for when you're a player. If you're scared of these moments, then it's hard to speak about it.

Despite dropping into the lower bracket, trexx remains confident that Liquid can recover and continue fighting for a place at VALORANT Champions 2026.

I think we still have a pretty good chance to qualify, even if we dropped to the lower bracket. I think we'll find our way in the lower bracket. I don't think this loss is a big deal. We just need to find ourselves, go back to the group-stage mentality, and smash people again.

Why Tier 2 teams succeeded in the Play-Ins
Eintracht Frankfurt reached the playoffs after eliminating three VCT teams during the Play-Ins. trexx attributed the success of Tier 2 representatives to roster stability, their opponents' poor performances and a greater level of motivation.

I think it's kind of both. The teams that lost in the Play-Ins to Tier 2 teams obviously performed badly. The thing is that those Tier 2 teams have been practicing together for a year, while the Tier 1 teams they've faced have made a lot of changes during the year. I think that's one of the main reasons. I also think Tier 2 has more passion for the game nowadays than Tier 1 because there are a lot of familiar faces in Tier 1 that are still playing and not performing well. They're still playing because there's no one to take their spot. I think it's a big thing nowadays.

Liquid made two roster changes before Stage 2, bringing back trexx and promoting Kimmie "Kicks" Laasner. Their previous experience together helped the updated lineup establish chemistry quickly.

I think it's a combination of many things because I played with the boys before, and I played with Kicks before, so we knew instantly that the vibes and everything would be good. The only concern was whether we could actually play together again as well. As we showed in the group stage, we can. We just need to wake up a little bit for the playoffs, and I think it's fine.

Team Liquid lost to FUT Esports 0-2 on August 20 and dropped into the lower bracket of VCT 2026: EMEA Stage 2. Liquid will face Eintracht Frankfurt on August 22, with the losing team being eliminated from the tournament and the race for a direct Champions berth.