After a long and tense series against FUT Esports, Fnatic's Head Coach
Milan “Milan” De Meij focused on one thing above all else: a huge lead over Corrode, followed by a slump that turned a simple match into a mental battle. Tired, lucid, and already looking ahead, he spoke of a team still under construction, a group seeking stability on match days while integrating new players and a different dynamic.
What’s your overall feeling about the game against FUT today?
Milan “Milan” De Meij: "We won, right? That’s important. We made it much sloppier than it needed to be. We were up 10–2 on Corrode, and we should close it out. There were so many opportunities, so I’m not fully satisfied. I’m also just tired, like I said; it’s nearly midnight, so I’m a bit more on edge. But a win’s a win. I’m happy we get to play again in a couple of days. Good learning as usual, but I wanted it cleaner. It’s the second time now,
BBL Esports was the same, where we start really good and then drop off. Last time it was one half, this time it’s like two and a half halves. We flip them map 1, and map 2, we go 10–2 up, and then it falls apart. That’s something we need to look at what causes those changes and fix them for the future. But I’m happy we won.
There was a moment on Corrode where the frustration from dropping rounds was noticeable, and you called a timeout right after. How do you handle those timeouts when you lose momentum, and how much impact do you think they have?
Milan: It depends. To be honest, on that attack side, we were kind of out of it. Me and Desmo (Casper Rasmussen) we tried to give the boys something. The feedback we always received is: don’t address the elephant in the room by just saying don’t stress. Speaking calmly and giving clear instructions helps way more than saying “boys don’t worry, we don't need to stress.” So we tried to give very concise instructions. But it didn’t really make a big difference. Sometimes that’s just how it goes. Still, I think we can learn a lot from that attack side.
Do you think the loss against BBL affected your players, making them maybe afraid of slipping back into the same patterns and losing clarity?
Milan: No. We’re feeling good. We’re catching up. We had a super busy offseason, and I’m pretty happy with how we’re scaling into things. We just needed a win, and hopefully this one helps us.
Before the next match, what will be the objective and the key things to fix in your opinion?
Milan: Just look at what went wrong today. It can be emotional, but there’s always a technical element too. It’s important we identify that now and talk about it with the boys tomorrow and the day after, and then we go again. I think we play in three days; there’s been so much going on. But yeah: identify what went wrong, really focus on those things, and then go from there.
Fnatic saluting the crowd after their victory against FUT. Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
The BBL roster came in as Ascension Champions. Did their level surprise you? And what do they do particularly well that makes them difficult to play against?
Milan: They’re good. I want to give them credit; they made it for a reason. They beat us fair and square. But it’s kind of the same story: I feel like we’re sloppy sometimes, and I’m not crazy happy with our overall level so far. There’s a lot of room for us to grow and scale into this kickoff. As for BBL: they’re shooters, and they do some really good stuff. I feel like they punished us a lot, especially on Haven. And Breeze, when you’re 9–3 up, you should never lose that. I think we overcomplicate things sometimes. And that’s maybe a new thing with this team, our stability, and we’re still trying to find that identity on matchdays. That’s what these reps are for. And I’m already happier because last year we started kickoff similarly: we beat Gentle Mates somewhere, but we lost to BBL, and we lost to FUT, and that was the end. At least we changed one of those two now. We keep going from here.
We’ve seen a new dynamic in the roster. With the arrival of the French player Sylvain "Veqaj" Pattyn, why that choice, and what exactly were you looking for by adding him to the roster?
Milan: He’s a very good player. I haven’t looked at stats, but he was top fragging early and did really well across the series. One, he’s phenomenal. Two, he’s eager. We wanted some freshness.
Veqaj is a young guy but very experienced, so we wanted to bring new energy, and he checks those boxes. His base level is high, and he’s moldable, coachable, and approachable. There’s a lot we can work on with him, and that’s exciting. It felt like a no-brainer. We trialed him one day, and we were like: yeah, this guy shoots, and he vibes with us, matches the team energy really well. Really happy with the addition.
Do you think the offseason tournaments helped his integration into the group?
Milan: For sure. We traveled halfway across the world in like two months, New York and all those places, so it definitely helped catch him up to speed with how we operate day to day. It takes the new edge off, like starting in a new office. And that applies to him and Desmo, first time in Fnatic for both, and Desmo’s first time in VCT EMEA. New location, new everything. Getting a head start was great.
As a coach, when you add a new piece, how do you adjust the team without breaking what was already working before?
Milan: Just because something worked in the past doesn’t mean it will work this time. That’s the mentality. The meta changed, they’re different people, everyone evolves, and the team evolves. I don’t want to hold on too hard to what worked before. We changed some things in structure, but we know what generally tends to work for us. We try it if it doesn’t work; we find new solutions. That’s also where coaching changes come in. Szed (Philipp Schickor) is still around as a performance coach, bringing new ideas. Desmo is really well integrated, too. We’re trying new things because it was a good year, but I want this year to be better. I always want to be better.
So you’re trying to create a new identity for Fnatic and not really keep the same as the past?
Milan: We still have the same four players. Boaster (Jake Howlett) is the heart of this team, and he will always be the heart of this team. It’s not easy to change his identity when he’s here. But in the details, we’re trying things. The way Chronicle (Timofey Khromov) is, and the way Vaqaj is, those things have an impact and allow people to step up. For example, I think Alfajer (Emir Ali Beder) has stepped up emotionally and is leading by example; Chronicle would do that sometimes too, being that stoic rock. It makes me excited because I’m seeing players unlock characteristics and emotions I hadn’t seen before."
