The French CSGO scene is never quiet, and this week has been no exception. An interview given by Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire to Flickshot.fr recently was translated by reddit user JeanneHusse. In the translation, a lot of the problems the team had are revealed, and some well-known stories have been confirmed in a way that won’t hurt him, but won’t please his old team mates.
Possibly the highlight in terms of star power is the section dealing with kennyS, for years one of the best snipers going, and still a top five player with that gun, and the way his struggles with motivation reflected throughout the team. While his lack of motivation has been speculated about for some time, apEX revealed how much of a battle it was for the team to even convince Kenny to play, and how little love he had for the game in the last part of 2017.
“…we spent 3 or 4 weeks together iand all the players, and I insist, all the players of team except me, were playing other games. They were practicing a bit but they weren't playing, they were playing HOTS, watching TV shows. For me, there are priorities, you can play other games [...] but I played more CS, that's it. Of course we lost some level [of skill], collectively and individually, missing stuff etc.”
It’s clear apEX still has a lot of love for his old team mates, but one comment about Kenny really stands out, and speaks to the larger tragedy of having a player with the potential to be the very best, but not the mindset. Comparing the G2 star with his footballing idol, apEx reveals what he really thinks of Kenny, and one wonders if the ire is increased due to the amount of work apEX has to put in for his skill, knowing it comes naturally to Kenny.
“We ended up getting fucked and I lost it, after the major I was really pissed, I couldn't do anything. We had so much talent, but people weren't working enough. That's my biggest complaint about shox and kennys : they were our star players and they never behave like ones. I always tell Kennys, he's a fan of CR7 and never acts like him, unable to give its fullest to the game.”
For those of us wondering how the ‘superteam’ failed, there is also a damning indictment of SmithZ as a coach. In the interview, apEX basically dismisses his old coach’s attributes as a leader, claiming he has no authority, and was unable to ‘kick ass’ when required, something which makes a lot of sense when you look back on that team, and also calls into question the management at G2, so good at PR, but terrible at team management it seems.
“Smithz became a very good friend, he's adorable, I regret never playing with him. His only problem as a coach was authority, he has none and that's a problem. The coach is supposed to kick your ass when something's wrong.”
Speaking of his bosses, and the much loved Ocelote, apEX let slip a very juicy detail, that essentially he was being kept in contract prison by the team. According to the player, Mousesports wanted to sign him ahead of Snax, their recent addition from VP, but G2 outright blocked the deal, presumably using the logic that if they can’t use the talent they are paying, nobody else is going to either.
“I was the first choice of mouz, but G2 blocked the whole ordeal. I'm really annoyed.”
The full interview can be found here, with the translation here. For those who speak French, we don’t doubt it’s a cracker, and thanks to flickshot and JeanneHusse for their work.
Picture: apEX / Facebook
