XTQZZZ on Major: We don’t care whether we play well or badly, what matters is winning the game

Q: The Shanghai Major is about to start, but you have already been in China for several weeks. How is your adaptation going?

Very good! We had a plan to deal with the jet lag and it worked well, and the overall adjustment was good. The most difficult part was obviously being in China for two and a half weeks, and we watched another RMR group play. We had to find a good balance between training pressure and rest. I am happy with it, but now we need to start playing again. Because we will face teams that are already adapted to the game, it is crucial for us to be mentally prepared for our game.

Q: Before the Major, you did have a great performance on RMR, winning all three games. Do you think you can have a better start?

A: I don't think so, although we could have played better against FaZe on Dust2 . We were a little nervous at the end, probably because it gave us a chance to go 3-0, which is the first time in Vitality 's history. Apart from that, the performance was pretty clean. But we are not completely dependent on RMR, we don't care too much about it, it was just the first step and it is no longer in our consideration. Now more than two weeks have passed, I hope our preparation will work.

Q: How do you think the team was doing before this trip to China?  

A: Generally, considering recent results. We have been able to make the knockout stage in recent games, but we lost the same way every time. Like all teams, our goal is to find a balance between performing well in RMR and being in the best condition for the upcoming knockout stage. I won't go into details because it's an internal matter involving rest time, specific content of training, and the basic work we do... basically what the top teams do. 

Q: You've won several honors over the past few months (third place at BLAST World Finals and BLAST Fall Finals, fifth place at IEM Rio and EPL), but Vitality didn't win a trophy at any of these tournaments. How do you feel about that?  

A: It's disappointing for me because we always lose the games in the same way. In the key moments, we usually have good judgment and our performance is not bad...but we lost all the key rounds, except in Cologne (which is Vitality 's only trophy this year). We discussed and adjusted, but anyway, this will be our biggest problem this year.  

Q: You can't explain these recurring losses?  

A: Yes. It's about communication, showing courage and taking ownership of what we do. But sometimes, while it's easy to describe a problem in words, solving it is much more complicated.

Q: Vitality always aimed to win in the past games without exception. Is it the same this time?

A: From the current situation, I don't think we can simply say that if we don't win the Major, we will fail. It depends on many factors, including performance, the strength of the opponent, etc.... This Major will be special. We know that outside of Europe , Majors are always full of surprises. It was the case in Rio in 2022 and in the United States in 2018. This is the first time that everyone has been in the same place for such a long time. In order to achieve a good result in this Major, we must deal with it properly. Entering the knockout stage and reaching the semifinals will be a standard performance. However, we are not in a situation where we can say that we have failed if we don't win, because we are not the strongest team at the moment. We need to be realistic.

Q: If you don’t perform well in this Major, will you consider this season a failure?

A: I would say it was disappointing, but whether it would be considered a failure, I'm not sure. That's too strong a word because we almost always made it to the knockout stage with one exception. We also won Cologne, which can't be ignored. Although it may be underestimated, for every player and coach, Cologne is the most important besides the Major. It has the same status as the Major, but without the sticker. However, I would still say it would be a disappointing result because we would feel that the overall level has dropped. And we didn't achieve what G2 and  Natus Vincere  achieved (winning three and four trophies respectively this year).

Q: How do you explain the overall decline in the industry? Do you think Vitality has also been affected?

A: Because the schedule is getting more and more dense, there are many games back to back. This was my initial explanation. I was impressed by NAVI's performance in July, but their level has dropped, and the same is true for  Spirit .  Mouz  has become very unstable, and FaZe has also encountered difficulties, although it may "break out" in Major events. I will put G2 out for discussion separately because they have a new roster. I think we played better in the first half of the season, at least before Cologne. Although we put in the same effort, I feel that the psychological freshness is somewhat missing and I can't fully understand where we need to improve.

Q: Do you feel that the players are also lacking in freshness? How do you ensure that they can return to this state in time for the Shanghai Major?

A: We didn't feel tired during the tournament, but I felt a lack of creativity and initiative. It's easy to forget what we do every day. How do we deal with it? After Rio, we took a short break. We started preparing for RMR with  mezii  , who just had a baby, so we used a substitute in the BLAST World Finals. Then we came back from Singapore and continued preparing until we left for China. We need to try to break the routine, because repeated matches don't bring new Vitality . The season is already in the eleventh month. Since I became a coach, I have never seen anyone maintain a good level in the last games of the season. It's a bit like gambling.

Q: If the competition is not at the top level, what exactly makes the difference?

A: It's the desire, the fighting Spirit , and the result of our silent efforts behind the scenes... In RMR, we don't care whether we play well or not, what matters is winning the game. In Major, the structure will be the key. As time goes by and the games go on, when you swing left and right, you may lose the foundation. But we will rebuild the structure we once had, and this is what we have been working towards.

Q: In 2023, Vitality asked  JaCkz  to replace  dupreeh  , which led to some adjustments before the team successfully won the Paris Major. Will it have the same impact this time?

A: The situation this time is completely different, mainly for two reasons. First, when dupreeh was replaced, we practiced with JaCkz for two weeks, then participated in a tournament together, and then participated in another tournament and successfully completed RMR. There was a transition period in between. But the situation this time is different. The team had problems in offensive tactics. Now we don't have these problems. JaCkz 's joining has brought joy and craziness to the team, but the challenges now are completely different.

Q: On a personal level, how do you feel about the team's performance this year, especially in the face of criticism about the team's performance in the games and the results?

A: When we were eliminated at IEM Katowice, we just had to motivate ourselves and re-plan... Then in the following tournaments, we reached the quarterfinals and semifinals. Although we didn't win the championship trophy, there were many positive things. We are criticized, we have indeed received a lot of criticism, but we have the strongest offensive lineup this year. It's just that when it comes to the key moments, we have some mistakes. The problem is more about the ups and downs of mentality. We have opportunities in every game, but it is difficult to avoid these mistakes. We have to look at this situation objectively - we have lost some confidence, both individually and as a team. At that time, there will be a negative voice in our hearts, reminding us that failure may happen again. But we have to respond positively and work hard to resolve this problem. I hope that no matter what happens, we can be confident in the Majo game. Everyone in the team will fight for it. 

Q: Do you think Vitality has a problem with position allocation at the moment? Despite the criticisms in recent months... 

A: This is a common question... I think there is nothing wrong with the current team's position allocation. The biggest challenge we face is adjusting our mentality, especially when facing criticism about the performance and results of the game.

Q: You are about to compete in a Major event held in China for the first time. Will this be a new experience for you? 

A: Yes, it is very different this time. First of all, there is the problem of jet lag, and secondly, the atmosphere of fans in China. This event will be extremely hot. We just came back from Singapore, and the situation was almost out of control without proper security measures. Fans even followed us all the way to the hotel, even when we went to the bathroom. We must have multiple response plans, and even discussed how to make a good transition between RMR and Major competitions, how to train, and how to face this environment. The competition will be held on site, and there will be spectators at every stage, and I have only had such an experience once. So, the pressure is very high. This competition, we will encounter many new challenges, and we must be fully prepared to meet these challenges.

Vitality will face GamerLegion tomorrow at 12:00.