9z have had a terrible start to the new season, exiting early from the Esports World Cup and BLAST Porto, and recently suffering a four-match losing streak. Just a few months ago, they reached the quarterfinals of the IEM Cologne Major and won the XSE Pro League championship; their current decline is nothing short of a cliff fall.
After losing to Vitality, max admitted that even he didn't know where the problem lay. He stated that the team currently lacks confidence, struggles to make correct decisions, and sometimes forgets their strategies. Many rounds were played chaotically, with players forgetting what to do and failing to adapt to the in-game situation.
Q: Where do you think things went wrong in this series?
max: everything. We didn't play the way we wanted to, and it's been a very tough start to the season for us.
To be honest, I don't really know what happened, but we will resolve this issue and try to return to what truly should be.
Q: Do you think this is a psychological issue, or a tactical issue? What problems have you noticed in the match so far?
max: I think it's a combination of multiple factors. We lack confidence right now and fail to make correct decisions; at the same time, we forget tactics and things go wrong in many rounds.
We forgot what we were supposed to do and did not adjust according to the situation. So, it's a multifaceted issue.
Q: Were you surprised? After all, you had performed very well at the Major and even won the XSE Pro League.
max: Yes, a bit. I didn't expect us to play like this in this tournament, but now it's time to take a little break, see what happened, discuss it, and then move forward.
Q: What are your plans next?
max：I'm not sure if this has been made public, but we will be going to China to participate in FISSURE. I believe this tournament is very important for us to regain our confidence, as we have been competing against the best teams in the world.
The situation in the early months of this year was not the case, so we need to regain confidence and return to the true level.
Q: Do you find it easier to return to your true level through competing in many formal matches, or would you prefer to have some time to stop and train?
max: For us, competing in tournaments is a positive experience; however, battling the best teams in the world every day is not easy, and we are currently not on the same level.
I think it is very important for us to play against second or third-tier teams, regain our confidence, and then return to the top-tier arena.