M8 Nass: “Since we won Boston, there’s a lot of pressure on us”

Sheep Esports - M8 Nass: “Since we won Boston, there’s a lot of pressure on us”

“We will be back on top”

It’s the end of the road for Gentle Mates in Rocket League at the Esports World Cup this Saturday, as the French organization was eliminated in the quarterfinals by NIP.eStar in a 4-2 series, despite fighting until the very end to mount a comeback in the BO7. Following the match, Nassim “nass” Bali joined us for an interview to discuss the team’s performance, his decision to represent the Netherlands at the Esports Nations Cup, and today’s loss impact on Worlds.

What do you think about the team's performance today?

Nass: “We definitely underperformed. We didn't follow the game plan, the things we wanted to do. And that's probably why we lost.

Did NiP surprise you in any way?

Nass: No, not really. We all know that they were bump-heavy. They just liked to chase and just make it as chaotic as they want. And whenever people play like that, it's kind of hard for us to play, and it made it really awkward.

Does this elimination worry you heading into Worlds?

Nass: No, it doesn't worry me. It's a good learning experience. We just have to keep running and grinding and try harder than in scrims, and we will be back on top.

Why were the Paris Major and the EWC not as successful as the Boston Major?

Nass: Our expectations were a bit too high. Coming into Boston, we just played freely. There was kind of no pressure on us. But now, since we won Boston, there's a lot of pressure on us. We don't play the same way as we did, but we should definitely go back to it and try our hardest.

How confident are you in your ability to bounce back at Worlds?

Nass: I'm really confident in the bounce-back. We have a good group, and they're all motivated to grind and to go back.

Can you tell me why you chose to play for the Netherlands instead of Morocco at the Esports Nations Cup?

Nass: At FIFAe, without Itachi (Amine Benayachi) , it was kind of hard for me and dralii (Samy Hajji) to play. Since I have a Dutch passport, I could play with Oaly (Ole Doorn), and we have a really good group. I'm really excited to play with them. But for FIFAe, I will still be playing for Morocco.

NiP’s Dutch duo wasn’t really in its best shape at the beginning of the year. Could that be the positive takeaway from this loss to NiP?

Nass: I don't really care. They're both really good players. They could be the best players in the world when they play at their best, so I'm always confident in them. I'm just happy to play with them.”