Following their opening win of the season — a 2-0 victory over Workforce Vitality within the VCT EMEA Kickoff, Lee Jones spoke with FNC’s head coach Chris “Elmapuddy” Tebbit.
After a dominant yr (2023) wherein the workforce have been extensively thought to be the world’s finest workforce, Fnatic’s head coach mini gave up his function in the hunt for a more healthy work-life stability. His subsequent return as assistant coach will now see him working underneath the brand new chief tasked with persevering with Fnatic’s success into 2024.
Listed here are his expectations for the season.
Esports.internet: It should be good to start out the season with a win, however did you anticipate map one to be so shut?
Elmapuddy: We anticipated it to be just a little cleaner than that, clearly. I believe we had a few rounds we in all probability ought to have received. We made a few errors in there that I believe price us a number of rounds early on as effectively. So I believe simply cleansing up, ensuring the boys know what they’re doing on each single spherical as a result of we simply began a few rounds out of place, which really did price us a number of.
I believe with Lotus clearly the comp hasn’t modified from final yr, however there’s been a number of adjustments I’ve needed to make to how we play it. And I believe that there’s nonetheless this factor the place the fellows performed a lot final yr that they often default to what they have been doing final yr slightly than the brand new tailored system.
Lee Jones: Talking of tactical adjustments – you’ve simply joined what’s extensively thought to be the world’s finest workforce.
Is there a tough stability between not eager to make too many adjustments to what’s already been working while additionally eager to make your mark on the workforce?
Elmapuddy: They’ve a very good base system in place already and mini continues to be on the workforce, so he’s an excellent useful resource so far as ensuring that each one the great issues they have been doing are in place.
However I’ve bought to place my spin on it. I believe that one factor that’s large, and everybody is aware of, is you might be one of the best workforce on the planet however it’s important to preserve transferring ahead in any other case somebody’s going to catch and overtake you. So I believe what I’m attempting to do is put just a little little bit of my spin on the workforce whereas retaining all the nice stuff that mini’s put in place and Boaster’s put in place over time and simply try to preserve the workforce transferring ahead,
So it’s nearly at all times transferring ahead, ensuring the workforce’s transferring ahead, staying on high, as a result of that’s even tougher than attending to the highest.
What’s the dynamic been with mini staying on as assistant coach? Do you ever really feel like a little bit of a 3rd wheel in discussions with him and Boaster?
Elmapuddy: Um.. just a little bit. Mini’s really been actually good. As everybody is aware of, he stepped down as a result of he desires a greater work-life stability and training an esports workforce you don’t actually get a large amount of that. So clearly his objective of stepping down was to take a number of much less hours.
Once we get to these factors the place we have to actually nut out some particulars, it’s me and Boaster doing it. Mini clearly provides his opinions, he provides his ideas on issues, which after all are extremely useful. However on the finish of the day, he did step down for a purpose and us making him work 12 hours with us all through that, it’s simply not truthful on what he needed to do. So I believe
I’ve to offer plenty of credit score to mini. He’s very supportive, however he’s additionally ensuring that I’m the top coach and that I’m working with Boaster. So I believe I’ve to offer plenty of credit score to mini for serving to facilitate that and making it a really clean transition.
Did you may have another presents over the off season you thought-about, or was it a no brainer as soon as Fnatic was concerned?
There have been different choices, however when Fnatic say “you need to coach this workforce?” – it’s a no-brainer. It’s just a little little bit of, I don’t need to say ‘poison chalice’, nevertheless it’s a kind of ones the place you’re already on the high if you be a part of the workforce, and when you preserve the workforce doing what they’re doing otherwise you drop off just a little bit you then in all probability get the blame for it since you’re the brand new piece.
However I believe it’s a kind of issues the place it’s only a no-brainer. You’ve these unbelievable gamers and I believe each coach simply desires the items to have the ability to do what they need to do and win trophies. I believe Fnatic has one of the best items, nice group as effectively, so as soon as the supply got here round it was only a no-brainer.
Lee Jones: Boaster talked about on the printed that the objective this yr is to win all three world occasions.
How do you use in that surroundings the place successful all the things is the one success?
I believe it is determined by the way wherein that doesn’t occur if it doesn’t occur. I believe it’s troublesome to plan for as a result of if one thing simply occurs and also you don’t win a trophy then clearly you didn’t attain your objective, nevertheless it’s necessary to take issues in context. So I believe that’s a kind of ones the place you simply should sort of see — if and when it occurs — what’s the response?
The final word objective is after all Champions, this workforce received each trophy besides Champions final yr. So there’s been plenty of speak about retaining the workforce constant and really increase so we’re peaking on the finish of the yr slightly than peaking just a little bit earlier within the yr. It’s undoubtedly a balancing act that myself and the efficiency coaches at Fnatic should work out – retaining the workforce at a excessive degree and peaking when it issues to win all these three trophies. After which additionally retaining ourselves contemporary and feeling good for Champions, as a result of clearly that’s the large one.
I believe when you ask the workforce on the finish of the yr, let’s say we don’t win Madrid or Shanghai, then we win Champions, we wouldn’t have reached our objective however I believe everybody would nonetheless be feeling fairly good about it.
However the objective is to win all three as a result of the items on this workforce are unbelievable.
And I believe it’s very particular, even when among the gamers don’t understand it, to have this workforce collectively. There’s so many unbelievable gamers on the market, however to have all of them on the identical workforce is sort of like a once-in-a-career alternative, possibly twice when you’re fortunate. So it’s simply one thing we’ve to seize with each palms and win all three trophies.
That’s the objective.
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