In the recent Counter-Strike 2 summer player break, numerous rosters made changes, including Liquid. The North American organization added a new coach and two players. Now, the team’s current star and a former member are criticizing the latest roster.
Liquid were arguably the team that made the biggest changes to their CS2 squad. The organization benched its in-game leader, cadiaN, and released skullz, who joined FURIA instead. On top of that, zews was let go as the team’s main coach, and mithR, who formerly worked with MOUZ and Apeks, joined the North American squad in his place.
Nevertheless, the former star-studded roster had massive expectations, and Zews and Twistzz provided some valuable insights in two separate interviews. According to the latter, Liquid players couldn’t work together at all. “It was just not working inside or outside of the game. There was no chemistry or synergy. And you can’t really play the game without those two things,” Twistzz told Pley.gg.
The Canadian was reluctant to dive into the details, but did say the former Liquid lineup wasn’t organized. “There was a lack of work ethic in the team,” the player added. The chemistry and synergy the Liquid lineup lacked might be something Twistzz had plenty of when he worked under karrigan in FaZe Clan. Playing under cadiaN made him “value karrigan a lot more.”
Zews, on the other hand, could talk more, which is all but surprising given he’s no longer part of Liquid, contrary to Twistzz. “If I were to describe my time at Liquid in a few words, it would be… short and disappointing,” he told HLTV.
The Brazilian coach pointed out how he was meant to establish the team in the long-term. But he struggled to do so, especially after Liquid failed to qualify for the Major. The squad was missing someone to dictate how they’d play and behave. “There wasn’t one voice, and it wasn’t my voice, Joka’s or [Performance Manager] Edward’s. Everything was decided by a committee, and from my experience, leading by a committee doesn’t work,” zews said.
All in all, there was no one to command the team. “Nobody had that power. I tried at time, but it wasn’t possible,” zews added.
But, at the same time, the 36-year-old defended cadiaN, the former IGL of Liquid. The chaos in the team wasn’t due to cadiaN’s lack of leadership abilities, but rather due to lack of trust and chemistry. “Not because of incompetence or anything like that. I think he’s a real captain, I think he’s a leader above all,” the Brazilian said.
The new Liquid roster debuts on July 31 at BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2024.
