YEKINDAR before IEM Cologne: I’m going to show great results, and I think I'll be back on the same high level again
In an interview with Pley, the VP explains that he's certain that he will step up at upcoming the $1 Million event.
The Russian Bears from Virtus.pro has been at the very top of CS:GO for some time now, after huge victories at Flashpoint 2 and cs_summit 7. One of the figures for their great success in late 2020 and the beginning of this year has been the Latvian powerhouse Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis, who’s developed into a true superstar under the VP banner.
However, VP and YEKINDAR haven’t been up to this light level lately, with the team having presented a rather disappointing performance the last 3 months. The 21-year-old rifler has gone from a 1.29 Rating to a 1.04 Rating - However, that’s something that is going to change if you ask the man himself.
- I think I’m going to show great results at IEM Cologne, and I think I will be back to the same level again. Some of the main reasons behind my success at the start of 2021 has come back now and the problems after ESL Pro League and Funspark ULTI has disappeared.
I’m sure that IEM Cologne and the upcoming season will be a great time for me and the team, YEKINDAR says in an interview with Pley.
YEKINDAR stats | First 90 days in 2021
1.29 Rating / 92.5 ADR / 1.38 Opening kill rating
YEKINDAR stats | Previous 90 days
1.04 Rating / 79.7 ADR / 1.21 Opening kill rating
Some of Virtus.pro’s biggest competitors this year has been their fellow CIS friends from NAVI and Gambit, who both tops the CS:GO rankings right now, with Gambit having defeated VP in three Grand Finals the last 8 months.
“I feel like the thing that separated us from Gambit at that point was the mental readiness for each other and not because of strategies.
When you’re winning a lot like Gambit and NAVI are doing right now, it really helps them to continue winning cause of this ‘champions mentality’, which strengthens their motivation. However, if you’re losing and you don’t know what’s wrong with the team, it’s harder to win, YEKINDAR explains at a press conference.
You can get a deeper insight into YEKINDAR and how he plays CS:GO in this interesting video by the renowned analyst Janko "YNk" Paunović:
YEKINDAR and the rest of Virtus.pro will commence their IEM Cologne campaign on Thursday this week, where they will meet one of the Play-in contestants in a thrilling opening-round matchup. You can follow both the Play-in and main event of IEM Cologne right here on Pley.
