alex: "They weren't happy playing at all"
Following an interview where THREAT highlighted both role balance and a lack of leadership as issues in NIP, the Swedish organisation has rebuilt their team by reinstating es3tag and the surprise signing of Spanish in-game leader alex from Movistar Riders.
NIP will have their first opportunity to prove why the move was 'perfect', and show us why they made the right choice at BLAST Premier Fall Final this week.
Before the event, we sat down with alex to discuss how the move came about, his time with Movistar Riders, and how he intends to address those issues highlighted by THREAT.
The new captain speaks
It’s your first event with NIP, how are you feeling about being part of such a prestigious organisation?
I feel very good and I'm looking forward to playing with the team in our first official LAN. NIP has been taking care of me since the first day I joined so it makes me feel so happy. I want to see what we are capable of with a few days of training.
It was a surprise to fans to see you join the team. Was it as much of a surprise to you?
It was yes! I had been in talks with them for almost two months and when they called me and told me that I would be part of the Ninja family I couldn't believe it.
It’s your first time with an international team. What will be the biggest differences to playing in a national team?
The biggest difference will be the language for sure, but also the way they work. It is different from what I'm used to. I have been in Movistar Riders for six years so I think almost all things are new to me.
You achieved a lot with Movistar Riders. How would you sum up your time with them? What was the highlight?
It's been a wonderful few years. I have so many memories with them, we started from the lowest point and we climbed into the top seven in the world and that was amazing for the Spanish community. My best memories would be IEM Cologne 2022 where we finished in the top four and the environment was absolutely incredible, but I have a lot of fond memories with Movistar Riders.
Photo: Joao Ferreira You’ve been signed after THREAT said there was a “lack of leadership” in the team. How do you plan on addressing that issue?
I'm going to be who I am and I will do the same things I did in my previous team. There is no secret but to work from humility.
THREAT also stated there was an issue with role balance in the team, although on paper, that seems to have been helped with the additions of yourself and es3tag; how do you view the team role-wise and in terms of setting up? What roles will people be playing?
It's been very easy to work with them, they are working hard and in my opinion we have perfect positions now, we know that we have a ton of work ahead of us but everyone is involved in the team. I think nowadays it's hard to set some roles I would like to have but it depends on the map.
Are there any other issues with the previous NIP lineup you noticed while with your old team that you’re looking to address now that you’re the IGL of NIP?
The only issue that I noticed is that they weren't happy playing at all and when you feel like this while doing what you love then something is going wrong. I just want to make sure that everyone is happy, that they take on some responsibilities, and most importantly, that we should enjoy the process together as a team.
BLAST Premier Fall Final takes place between November 22nd-26th. Catch all the action right here on BLAST.tv.