NAVI head coach, Andrii B1ad3 Horodenskyi, gave an interview to Players special correspondent Alex Kharchenko after the loss to Vitality in the quarterfinals of the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 in CS2.
I watched the pauses, you were not very happy with the first map, most likely with the tactics, and maybe clutches, the reactions of the players?
It's always the case that as the game goes on, some mistakes are made. We always have a game plan, it's a conditional script, but we always say that the main thing is not to focus too much on it, but to play more on the situation, because our gameplan is just a game plan. We can't know what they have prepared, we can't guess in advance what will happen, so it's very important to be able to play in the moment and adjust in the moment, negotiate in the live and make the right moves. That's why I was a little bit dissatisfied, but it's normal, it's not only in this game. I see that there was a mistake here, a mistake there. We could have done better, we could have come out and won this situation.
And so it was not enough at all, because Vitality is stronger than us, it's as simple as that. I think even if we had played the semifinals or the final, we would have played better, because we still need that confidence. We played the group stage quite shakily. The playoffs are a completely different stage, and it's hard to start right with Vitality, a team that hasn't lost a single bo3 this season. We missed that playoff vibe a little bit, where you already feel that you can do a little bit more, 5-10% more confidence or risk where you need to and so on.
You mentioned preparation. You played a lot with Vitality, a lot with MOUZ, and so on. Do these micro-moments decide the outcome?
We didn't play with MOUZ this season and we didn't play with Vitality. This is a very important point. We played with Vitality once in Cologne. That was the only time. And they beat us bo5 in the final, I think.
So the details, of course, make the difference. When strong top 5 teams play, everything is on the line. If you don't communicate well or don't have time to make a decision. There are a lot of micro-moments.
In terms of this roster, how satisfied are you with the situation? Do you have a target for the results? How can you comment on this situation?
There is a minimum, but if we had played like we did today, like we started the season, we would have had a much better season. Therefore, we can say that we woke up very late. In general, this is a disappointment for us. Because last year we were the Team of the Year. And now we have no trophies, we had only two semifinals. Not bad, but there is not even a single final. So it's a disappointment, 100%. We will think about what to do next season.
s1mple is now at FaZe, but the contract belongs to NAVI. Do you have any plans for the situation with Oleksandr? Changing the roster, selling the player, anything can happen?
Of course, he is on loan. If he was bought, he would be bought immediately. It depends on FaZe.
I think if FaZe bought him right away, we would give him away. This is a question for the sporting director and the organization. Now it's hard to say what they have agreed on, on what terms, and so on. But there are many factors. It depends on what Sanya s1mple wants. We will sit down, look at our roster, what we plan to do. We need to have a chance to be competitive next season, because the teams are all progressing, more teams are appearing. There is growth. It is very important in this race not to stand still. It's very important, so we'll keep thinking.
It’s clear that s1mple is delivering results, improving his game. Even looking at his stats for FaZe now, he’s one of the best on the team. How would you comment on his performance?
He played a couple of matches very brightly. Compared to what it was like at Falcons, it’s three times better than it was at Falcons. He feels the game better, he has more motivation, he has more desire to play, to give his all to the game, and so on.
So, of course, you could say the comeback has already happened.
And you, as a coach who worked with him for a long time — are you happy that Oleksandr is coming back to CS2?
Of course, I think everyone is happy. I don’t know anyone who isn’t. Ask anyone, and they’ll say s1mple is part of the whole CS storyline. And of course, the storyline — that’s the main feature, the reason fans are watching.
Even I, for example, used to watch football for a while, watched that Barcelona lineup with Iniesta, Chavi, Messi. Then I watched tennis, when there was the rivalry between Nadal, Djokovic, Federer.
So, of course, it’s a very strong storyline when many elite players are competing at the same time.
