mezii: I think I have enough freedom, enough space within this team to be able to perform at a better level
In an interview with Pley.gg, William 'mezii' Merriman talks about his own performances so far at Vitality, while also setting his target on a win in the 19th season of ESL Pro League.
It was almost plug and play for William 'mezii' Merriman, when the 25-year-old Englishman joined Team Vitality. The former Fnatic player had to replace one of the best anchors in Counter-Strike history, the 4x Major winner Emil "Magisk" Reif, and he did it in style winning the first two tournaments Vitality participated in after the switch.
With his move to Vitality, William 'mezii' Merriman also got upgraded to a championship-winning team, which is a first for the former Cloud9, Endpoint, GamerLegion, and Fnatic player. A move that cut off a lot of the usual online tournaments and play-in tournaments, that the rifler has been used to playing in the past.
- With Vitality, you are entering a tournament where you need to be able to perform instantly in the first game. We need to play well, and I think as an individual, it's something I am worried about. I think it's definitely something I am working on, but it's an adjustment, something different, and it's improving for me individually to be able to turn up instantly from the first game.
“I think it could be 100% better”
In 2024, Vitality has not been able to replicate the same results as in the “honeymoon period” where William 'mezii' Merriman had just joined the team. The newest player on the roster also took a hit in his individual performances, which perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise given the fact, that the Englishman is still fairly new on the team, and that the Vitality roster has just played 53 maps since he joined.
- Now I can’t be satisfied with how I have been playing. I think it could be 100% better. I hold myself to a high standard, like you say it was big shoes to fill (replacing Magisk), but I know what I'm capable of as an individual. It's just about getting comfortable. And like I say, it can be much better. Tournament wise as a team, we could do much better, William 'mezii' Merriman explained before commenting on his 1.00 rating in 2024.
- I know I need to bring a certain level to my individual performance. And, at the moment it for sure needs to be better. And I think that in practice, I'm showing definitely a lot more and feeling more comfortable in my roles now. Like you say, it's different from what I had in the past, but I think I have enough freedom, and enough space within this team to be able to perform at a better level than what I have shown already. There are improvements to be made, and hopefully, I can show it at this tournament.
Can Vitality find back to winning ways?
ESL Pro League Season 19 is kickstarting the second half of the spring season, where Vitality is searching for its first tournament win of the year.
- As a team we want to get back into winning. And this is a tournament that we want to win. Of course, we want to show improvements, and that as well will satisfy us. But also winning a tournament is where we want to be, lifting a trophy is what we want to do, so that is a goal for us, William 'mezii' Merriman explained.
Vitality will kick off their Pro League tournament on Tuesday against the Brazilian team Sharks in Group B, that also features G2, BetBoom, and Team Falcons as the bigger teams in the mix.
