At the end of May, there was a major shake-up at BIG: You took over the role of head coach from gob. What exactly has changed for you, but above all within the team, since then?
The biggest change for me is, of course, that as head coach I now have much more responsibility and a greater say in how we approach the game, and how the team's philosophy and structures look.
In the team: We now have a very good culture of discussion that enables exchange within the team and allows everyone to contribute their expertise. The players are also taking on more responsibility in-game.
When there's a change in the coaching staff, many think everything gets thrown out and restructured in a team: Is that really the case, or do you initially continue working on the strategies, structures, etc. that are already in place?
We don't throw everything out. Many structures and strategies that were already in place are good and have proven themselves. With a change like this, you rather rethink the playing philosophy and the structure within a team. At the same time, such an upheaval is also very difficult because many structures are naturally deeply rooted and you first have to examine carefully whether they can be kept. Only in a second step do you then introduce "new" things, so to speak.
With tow b, another perspective is now being added to our team, which is very helpful. What result these synergies will lead to remains to be seen.
As a coach, you have enormous influence on how the team plays: How would you describe your approach to the game? What is currently the key to success in CS?
My approach to the game is fundamentally that you can be the best team if you perfect your own style. That has always been my philosophy.
With my approach to the game, I logically also orient myself around the players you have on the team. So it's about deploying the players correctly and giving them the opportunity to play to their strengths and contribute them.
In my eyes, the key to success lies in the team understanding each other well and being able to communicate openly and give constructive criticism to one another, which then allows you to improve together.
You can't broadly say what makes good CS. Some teams benefit from rushing, others lean more toward a slower playstyle. You simply have to see what suits the team and especially the IGL, and how you can fit the individual players into this vision.
rigoN is now joining the lineup as a new player. What qualities does he bring? How will he be used in the team and how can he complement BIG's play?
rigoN is definitely a very experienced player and he can decide rounds with his game sense. His aggressiveness also plays a decisive role and is one of the reasons we brought him to BIG. We want him to be our certain "X-factor" and win rounds for the team that way.
In the team, he is currently being used as a semi-anchor/semi-lurk, i.e. we're counting on his strong communication and the goal is for him to get traded well. We want to use strategies or rely on plays where he can play aggressively and have a big impact on the game.
What are the current areas to work on in the team and what are the current strengths?
Areas to work on: The new structures and philosophies now need to be gradually embedded and gelled as a team. It's also important that as a team we know exactly what we want to do in certain situations and how we want to react.
Strengths: We have players who can compete mechanically at the top level. I also think we can fight our way out of any situation thanks to this mechanical skill.
What's coming up for the team right now and what can we expect?
BLAST is up first in the next few days. After that, we're heading to Cologne before the Major qualifier gets underway.
Fans can expect us to be fully committed. We've put in a lot of work. Whether that work pays off and we're heading in the right direction will show in time.