Aleksib says NaVi needs something more to improve its performance

It is no secret that NaVi’s performance with their new international lineup of three players has been below expectations, as the team’s level at both the BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2023 and IEM Cologne 2023 has been disappointing.

While it is true that they managed to qualify for the BLAST Premier Fall Finals 2023, the team showed many shortcomings in that first tournament of the second half of the year. Moreover, in the IEM Cologne 2023, which is in full swing, the team was left out of the playoffs for the first time in the last nine years after losing to Astralis 1-2 on August 1, 2023.

As a result, alarm bells began to ring in the Ukrainian squad as Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev showed signs of desperation in the games. After NaVi’s elimination from IEM Cologne 2023, their new IGL, Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen, said the team needs a change to improve their results.

Aleksib says NaVi needs a mental coach

In a post-match interview after NaVi’s elimination against Astralis in IEM Cologne 2023, Aleksib said NaVi needs a mental coach, as the “team loses against themselves.”

Aleksi telling they need a mental coach after match with s1mples tilting
by u/Few-Location-9224 in GlobalOffensive

As we can see and hear, Aleksib mentions that they lose the matches because the players are tilted, and consequently, the result is completely unfavorable for them. In particular, the whole community believes that Aleksib is referring to s1mple since the Ukrainian AWPer has always been very emotional and does not hide his words, whether they are strong or not, with his team.

On the other hand, another of NaVi’s new additions, Justinas “jL” Lekavicius, helps the team with a “good atmosphere,” according to the Finnish IGL. However, Aleksib believes that, for NaVi to be successful in the upcoming events, they must lift their spirits and row in the same direction.

NaVi’s changes have not yet taken effect.

First, let’s remember that NaVi made three changes for the second half of the season with the addition of Aleksib, JL, and Ivan “IM” Mihai. The Ukrainian squad decided to expand to an international lineup by basing it on s1mple and Valerij “b1t” Vakhovsjkyj.

However, despite the team’s great potential, we still do not see an ideal synergy that could lead them to victory. Moreover, it is evident that the lineup, specifically s1mple, must control their emotions a bit to make the game flow.

In the match between NaVi and Astralis last August 1, especially throughout IEM Cologne 2023, we noticed that jL was always energetic in cheering on his teammates. However, the team was crestfallen in most games and even more so in their losing games.

A mental coach may be the solution

It’s no secret that, in many cases, a mental coach can be essential for an esports team, whatever the video game. All esports players are under high pressure, so mentality and confidence are crucial factors for success.

Currently, in the competitive CS:GO scene, teams like G2 Esports, Astralis, and Team Vitality (to name a few of them), have mental coaches, so it is a common thing in the scene.

NaVi has a lot to do in these two weeks; they will have to prepare for the start of their next event. The Gamers8 2023 festival will be played in Saudi Arabia starting August 16, 2023.

Header: João Ferreira | PGL