Aleksib urges NAVI to avoid overthinking after EPL exit

NAVI were eliminated from the ESL Pro League after losing to PARIVISION, with captain Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen calling for more composure and enjoyment before the team’s next tournament.

The defeat came on the deciding map. NAVI fell 0-5 on the CT side and then lost three consecutive rounds in which PARIVISION had only one player alive.

NAVI recovered and took an 11-10 lead after a clutch from Ilya “w0nderful” Zhdanov. They could not close out the map, later losing a round despite getting two opening kills and holding a 5-on-3 advantage.

“It feels bad since we showed a different NAVI this tournament,” Aleksib said after the match. “We should have made our way to the playoffs, but now we see another team there, so it doesn’t feel so good.”

NAVI were competitive in several close matches but struggled to finish them. Aleksib identified deciding maps as an area for improvement, noting that the team sometimes won one map before suffering a heavy loss on the next.

The team has also lost five consecutive matches on Mirage. Aleksib linked the run to poor starts on both sides of the map. He added that NAVI’s T-side had historically been one of its strengths and that the team had several issues to review.

NAVI have won two matches in the current Pro League campaign and retain an estimated 90% chance of qualifying for the Major. Further poor results in Bucharest could reduce that margin.

Aleksib listed PGL Bucharest, PGL Beijing and the Major as the team’s three remaining events before the roster lock. NAVI also plans to hold a boot camp after determining its Major stage and qualification position.

“I don’t really feel the pressure,” Aleksib said. “Everyone understands that we have one tournament after each other.” He added that the team must work harder and treat the next event with the same seriousness.

“We need to enjoy the game more, feel the passion more,” he said. “All these hurdles and all these setbacks, it makes you overthink. It makes you do funny stuff in your head that you’re not supposed to do, so we need to try our best to not let that happen.”

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