Aleksi Aleksib Virolainen Discusses His Move to Natus Vincere and Relationship with Teammates

The new captain of the Natus Vincere CS:GO roster, Aleksi Aleksib Virolainen, talked about his move to the club. The Finnish esportsman spoke about his relationship with his teammates. The 26-year-old professional player shared his thoughts in an interview with HLTV.org.

[Волнует ли меня мнение комьюнити о моем переходе в NAVI?] Of course, I don’t care. It hurts me a little that a lot of people say I don’t deserve this chance. Honestly, these words convince me otherwise – I really deserve it, but at the same time I see that on paper it may not be so. I feel that my relationship with some coaches was unsuccessful, we were not on the same wavelength. But we got on well with djL [тренер NiP — прим. ред.].

Management may have a different opinion, but for the time spent in G2, and for the time spent here, I just want us to get along well with the coach, because many of the top teams right now are giving the reins to mentors. Usually it is they who form the team together with the management, and the players do not have the right to vote. Ultimately, I want to succeed as a leader and I want to work with someone who is willing to trust me.

I feel like there’s a misconception that I’m being too strict or that I’m adding too much structure to the game. But it’s different if I have players who are able to play well and tell the team what they want to do. If I have quiet teammates, then it’s a completely different story. That’s when you have to take some of the responsibility. The last year and a half has not been an easy path for me, but I will try my best to make it all work in NAVI.

Virolainen also talked about the structure of the game in his teams.

[Приходилось ли мне когда-то думать о том, что я слишком строг к тиммейтам?] Obviously yes. I think it’s important to think about these things. But, for example, in G2 I didn’t need to manage NiKo or huNter- at the micro level. Perhaps at the time XTQZZZ, NiKo and I were meddling in the micro for m0NESY, since he never played tier 1. When he started to play with us, obviously, he needed to be prompted by certain moments. I didn’t have to tell NiKo and huNter- because they had experience of performing. Obviously, I respect NiKo and his style of play.

Here [в NAVI] the same situation. I have s1mple and I feel like this guy knows what he’s doing. Who am I to tell him anything about what to do or not to do (smiles)? As long as we’re on the same wavelength as a team and doing the rounds we want, everything is fine. I’m not one of those guys who refuse such people.

The next tournament for NAVI with the updated roster will be BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023. In the opening match, Virolainen’s club will play against Astralis – the meeting is scheduled to start on July 14, 16:00 Moscow time.

BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023 takes place July 13-23 in Copenhagen, Denmark. 12 teams compete for a prize pool of $177.5 thousand and slots at subsequent events from the tournament organizer. You can follow the schedule and results of the championship in the report.

2023-07-14 08:41:00

#Aleksib #s1mple