gla1ve on Gizmy: “I gave him a lot of freedom, and I think he made very good use of it.”

We knew we were in for a very tough week because, after our break, we only had about a week of practice, plus Gizmy had just joined us. So we knew it was going to be really tough. But I’m really, really proud of the guys. We worked incredibly hard to be ready for all these matches. But, as you may have noticed, sometimes we’re still a little short on practice and understanding exactly what style of play we want to see. We’ve focused a lot on theory and preparing our offense, but we haven’t put in quite enough work on our defense. That’s why our CT play is a bit inconsistent right now. I think it’s simply because I haven’t had enough time yet to properly drill everything.

He brings a lot to the table in terms of our team’s identity, especially on the attack. Although he’s also really good on defense. We position him in roles on the CT side where he can control the map a bit more. I think that’s exactly what we were missing a bit last season. As for his strengths... You can really tell that this guy did well in school, got into college, and, by the way, is still studying there. Because he’s had everything planned out literally from day one, ever since I met him.

To be honest, I’ve given him a lot of freedom, and I think he’s made excellent use of it because he’s trying to implement his own system. And I let him do that because I think he’s doing a great job. If I thought he was doing something wrong, then I’d step in much more often. But right now, in this early stage, I think it’s important for me, as the head coach, to let him do his thing, support him, and help him with whatever he’s lacking. That’s exactly how we’re working right now.

We’re still trying to figure it out, because things used to be organized completely differently than they are now. Before, the assistant coach and I were the two main people who made practically all the decisions. But now we’ve brought in someone who really wants to be involved in decision-making on a wide range of issues. So right now, the main thing for us is to find a balance: who’s responsible for what, and who makes which decisions. Gizmy is a very hardworking guy. I’d say he’s great at identifying our opponents’ weaknesses. But, of course, we still need to find the right balance. For example, on the first day, when we played against Ninjas in Pyjamas and Team Falcons and played two best-of-3 matches in a single day, it was very difficult for him to keep absolutely everything under control. So sometimes he needs to learn to let go of some of that control, too. And for me, as an assistant coach, it’s also a new experience—handing over some of that control to someone else. Right now, we’re trying to find that balance.