AdreN takes over as Virtus.pro captain

Dauren "⁠AdreN⁠" Kystaubayev has moved into the in-game leader role ahead of ESL Pro League Season 11 Europe, Virtus.pro CEO Sergey Glamazda has confirmed.

In an interview with Cyber Sports, Glamazda, who took over as CEO in November, explained that the decision will allow Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali and the rest of the team to "focus on their individual game" as Virtus.pro look to emerge from their recent slump in form.

The Kazakhstani team soared to No.3 in the world rankings in September after finishing in second place at the StarLadder Major and winning BLAST Pro Series Moscow, but results have been poor since the players left AVANGAR and signed with Virtus.pro. They are barely inside the top 20 at the moment and have finished four of their last five LAN events in last place.

The Virtus.pro CEO echoed the recent comments from coach Dastan "⁠dastan⁠" Akbayev, who had ruled out roster changes before the ESL One Rio Major, and revealed that the players are currently working with psychologists to improve their mental performance in key moments of the game.

"We’re not planning on making any changes in the team before the Major to avoid unnecessary backfires at the present moment," Glamazda said. "For now, AdreN takes on the captain role, Jame and others are focusing on their individual game.

"I also met up with team psychologists, who should help the team bond and get rid of nerves during crucial moments.

"Looking at our stats, I'm not upset with the fact that we have lost, but with the fact that it seems that we lack two or three rounds. Victory is seemingly so close, but it slips away.

"You lose confidence going into your next match, and when it happens tournament after tournament you start to think there's no escape. That’s why we needed a bit of a shakeup to fix such mental blocks."

Virtus.pro will return to action on March 30 in Group C of ESL Pro League 11 Europe to take on AdreN's former team of FaZe. MOUZ, G2, OG and TYLOO make up the rest of the group.