NAF is now a “fill player” on Liquid: I have taken a hit after YEKINDAR arrived
Should the 24-year-old Canadian have more of a star role on Liquid?
The addition of Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis as a temporary player has clearly made Liquid better and more competitive in the current CS:GO landscape. However, bringing in the Latvian rifler has also caused changes in the dynamics and hierarchy on the North American squad.
In an interview with HLTV, long-standing Liquid member Keith “NAF” Markovic explains how he has “taken a hit” since YEKINDAR arrived.
I do realize that with YEKINDAR coming to the team and the amount of things that he wants to do, the way he wants to play, and also how he wants the team to play, individually I've taken a little bit of a hit. Even during our practices, one day I'd wake up, and they'd be like, 'oh, you're playing here now,' and then the next day they'd be like, 'oh, you're actually playing here now.' I seem to just be that guy, and I do realize that I need to be that guy.
Playing with Liquid before, I think I've always been that second/third star player, but I do believe now I've taken more of a shift into more of a fill player and a very... I don't want to say supportive, because I always believe in myself that I need to be fragging and performing well, or else my team won't win, but I do believe that nitr0 and I are the players who take really big hits for the team right now, NAF said to HLTV.
NAF before YEKINDAR joined - (1st January – 7th July 2022)
1.17 Rating / 83.5 ADR / 1.04 Impact rating
NAF after YEKINDAR joined - (7th July – 30th September 2022):
1.09 Rating / 77.5 ADR / 0.96 Impact rating
NAF’s words are backed by the statistics if you take a look at some of his numbers from the time before YEKINDAR joined and after. Here you’ll see that the Canadian rifler has less impact and a significantly lower ranking now – where he in the first seven months of 2022 was the highest-rated Liquid player.
Since YEKINDAR dropped by, both the Latvian and Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonkowski has surpassed NAF.
YEKINDAR rocking the Liquid jersey at BLAST Premier Fall Groups (Credit: BLAST Premier)
In the interview with HLTV, NAF further describes how he personally has had to make sacrifices for the team to work.
EliGE, he's always been a star player and he always wants to be in comfortable areas where he can play and where he can take control of games, and naturally Mareks [YEKINDAR] is the same way. He wants to be in control, he wants to take over games as well, and with the way he entries he has a really good understanding of it. He talks about how he wants to do things and how the team can work around him, and I do realize that I just need to be that guy who they can just rely on, and I can just get my kills and play my anchor spots, all that type of stuff. I know there's been some changes within the team in areas where they're just like, 'we want you to play here,' and I'm like 'ah, I don't know if I want to play there,' but I'll do it for the team.
You can read the full interview by HLTV down below.
