Sinking deeper into troubled waters,
Rogue now find themselves with slim chances of resurfacing following a five-game losing streak in the
League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC). Despite having been the
last team in the region to finalize its roster for 2025, the squad's recent losses have shocked fans, particularly due to the uncharacteristic mistakes leading to their defeats. In a brutally honest interview with Sheep Esports, the team's toplaner,
Adam "Adam" Maanane, voices his concerns about the team's future, delves into its shortcomings, and reaffirms his commitment to turning things around.
Adam finds himself backed into a corner. Credit: Michal Konkol/Riot Games
What do you think is going wrong at Rogue at the moment? You're now 1-5, and I imagine that's frustrating, isn't it?
Adam "Adam" Maanane: "Yeah, in my eyes... The most frustrating thing is that the problems we're having at the moment shouldn't exist in a LEC team. In fact, they're problems you'd see in an ERL team. Everything is extremely weird. We manage to find the flow of the game as a team, but after that it's as if we completely lose ourselves in later stages. We just don't know how to play together.
Today, for example, we played Vi, Ambessa, Rakan and Galio. It's probably the simplest and most effective composition in the current meta. And yet, in a game that lasted almost 30 minutes, we didn't manage to play a single combo together. To me, that's surreal. This kind of malfunction is supposed to be basic to correct. The game was free, but we're throwing games away for free again and again. It's really infuriating.
What do you think is the main reason for your difficulties? Is it a problem of synergy between the players, a lack of fundamentals, poor coaching methods, ineffective training?
Adam: To be honest, a lot depends on individual performances at the moment. There are times in our team when we're not up to par with what's expected of us, either individually or collectively. Sometimes we get completely outplayed. It's shocking, especially because we're supposed to be playing in a top European league. But there are times when we simply aren't there, we aren't even showing up to play. I know we're better than this but right now, we're getting dominated by the opposition, even though we are good players. But when it comes to clicking and making the right choices, we just can't do it right now.
Do you think that the team's problems relate to a particular position or that the team as a whole is lacking at the moment? Do you think it's a question of motivation within the team?
Adam: Above all we have to show everyone that we want to be here, that we want to win, that we are motivated to be in the LEC and to perform. At the moment, I have the impression that we're not on the same wavelength, something I hadn't felt in my previous teams up to now. My goal isn't just to make playoffs. I want to win the LEC, go to the Worlds, and aim for trophies.
These are discussions we need to have within the team, because these issues need to be settled internally. After the second week's performances, it's normal to take a step back and review things, whether it's team or individual performances. When someone has a bad game, it's normal that we talk to them about it and that they take responsibility. That's how you become a better player.
Major changes need to take place. Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
Some critics point to the fact that some members of your team don't play much solo queue, which gives the impression that you train less than other teams. Do you share this opinion? Do you think there's a lack of seriousness in the team?
Adam: I wouldn't go so far as to say there's a lack of seriousness. Every LEC player have their own way of approaching solo queue, depending on their routine and relationship with the game. Are these routines optimal and do they really help them to perform? I don't know, because I'm not inside the heads of the other players in my team. Personally, I know that to be in shape and perform well, I need to spam solo queue and grind a lot. But I also know that there are players for whom that's not necessary. In the end, everyone has their own approach to what it means to be a LEC player in 2025.
How much faith do you have in the project today? Do you think the team can still bounce back?
Adam: As long as we're not eliminated, I'm going to give it my all. Whether it's in training, in solo queue, or in scrims, I'm going to continue to show that I want to be here and try to improve the team as quickly as possible. Nothing's decided yet. Next week, we have a match against SK that could decide our season. If we lose, it's all over. But if we win it, we might still have a chance, especially if teams like Heretics or BDS lose all their games.
We've had some very good early and mid games, but the way we're throwing them away, that should never happen in the LEC. The mistakes we make... It drives me crazy. They're mistakes that shouldn't happen at our level, it's as simple as that. We represent the highest level in Europe, so we should at least have the decency to perform as well as we can. As far as I'm concerned, we don't even play like a LEC team. When it comes to wrapping up a real game, we're terrible. That's the most frustrating thing. We can win games, but it's like we don't want to. It's incomprehensible.
What's the mood like in the team at the moment? For example, after yesterday's defeat, how did things go once you left the arena? How are the other players reacting?
Adam: The others have a different way of dealing with defeats compared to me. I'm a very impulsive person, I can't hold back my emotions. After a win or a loss, it's easy to know how I feel, even for someone who doesn't know me. Just by the tone of my voice, you can tell whether it went well or not.
Yesterday, the way we lost really frustrated me. It's not even because it was KC, but the way we prepared and the way we played wasn't worthy of a LEC team. I feel like we did not try enough in that game. Today was another winnable game, but we just couldn't do what we needed to do. I'm at a loss for words.
We're not showing that we want to be here enough, it's not sufficient and we aren't where we want to be yet. If it goes on like this, we'll just be repeating the same mistakes in Spring as well. I still have faith in this project, because there's still potential, but things absolutely have to change between the second and third week. It can't go on like this.
A frustrating scoreline. Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
Even if you still have a chance of making playoffs, the current situation looks complicated. Do you think things could improve between now and the Spring or Summer Split? Can the team improve as the year goes on?
Adam: As I said, we're playing some really good games. It's just that we don't manage to finish them. As long as the only problem is finishing games, when you don't manage to be clutch, when you don't put in a good enough performance, if it's purely individual, that's fine.
But as a team, I don't think we've tried enough. We just can't manage teamfighting together. There are major communication problems in the team, even though we are saying exactly what we have to do in-game. As far as I'm concerned, there's a lot of choking going on. There's a big lack of confidence in the team, which I can't explain, given that we're all experienced players now. There's not even the excuse of the start of the season. We're all experienced and we're supposed to be able to put in a performance worthy of a LEC team from day 1. The only game in which we've managed to execute our gameplay correctly was against Heretics in our very first match. Since then, it's been abysmal."
Header Photo Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
