biguzera: "We have to focus and be more professional"

"We really need to have a week of intense work, of practice, to see if we can get to Cologne with a higher level," paiN's in-game leader says.

paiN are out of FISSURE Playground 1 following straight losses to Lynn Vision and 3DMAX after an opening victory against Rare Atom — a slower start than they would have liked with IEM Cologne's Stage 1 right around the corner.

"Emotionally speaking, we were well prepared because we were on vacation longer, we had the vacation time we needed," Rodrigo "⁠biguzera⁠" Bittencourt told HLTV after the series that ended paiN's run in Serbia. "But looking at the professional side, of course we should have started to prepare earlier, but despite that, our minds also need some time off."

Far from any feelings of doom, the 28-year-old in-game leader believes his team will remove the post-vacational rust and catch fire. "The next time we get a good result, people will be surprised again," he adds, "and things will heat up again. It's all a cycle."

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You are out of the tournament after back-to-back defeats. How are you feeling? Disappointed, I imagine?

 It's a little frustrating because I think we came to the tournament to win, especially after the Major, but we know that we're not at our best yet. We just got back from vacation and only practiced for four days before coming here, and then there's the travel, fatigue, jet lag, and a lot of other things. But of course, we can't always make excuses about jet lag, fatigue, and homesickness. We're Brazilian, we have to focus and be much more professional than we've been. We have to think about that, get our focus back, and do well in Cologne.

Considering that expectations were sky-high after the Major, and looking at how things went down here, do you think preparation could have, or should have, been different?

Absolutely. There are two sides to it, the emotional side and the professional side. I think, emotionally speaking, we were well prepared because we were on vacation longer, we had the vacation time we needed. But looking at the professional side, of course we should have started to prepare earlier, but despite that, our minds also need some time off. There are two sides to the coin, so we chose the emotional side. It will take us a while to get back to the level we were at.

You got to the semi-finals at the Major, and many expected you to build on that here. You were regarded as one of the favorites for the title here. Do you think this result might cool things down a bit and slow down the team's growth?

 Of course, I think it can cool things down, but at the same time, the next time we get a good result, people will be surprised again, and things will heat up again. It's all a cycle. We had a good Major, which gave everyone hope. But at the same time… We need to step up to be more consistent in every tournament and that's what we're lacking. Playing the situations with more clarity. That's what we're lacking.

You have Cologne in a week, and you'll want a completely different result there. How are you going to prepare for that? Will these results change your goals in any way?

This week will be full focus. We will review our mistakes, review a lot of things. We really need to have a week of intense work, of practice, to see if we can get to Cologne with a higher level. But you can be sure we will work hard.

Considering that you didn't have the best of preparations, did you expect something like this to happen? Or was it still surprising?

It's hard to say, because while I know we are not at 100 per cent, I know other teams aren't either. It's not just us who took a vacation, everyone did. So I think everyone's level is a bit lower. I did not touch a computer for 12 days, so of course for me it's a lot harder than for someone who still played every day during the break. But I have a family, I have two daughters who are much more important to me. I knew that not everyone would be playing at a very high level, but we have to accept the fact that players also have emotions, they have families, so we have to think about that, too.

What are your goals for Cologne?

The goal is always to win, of course. But we know how hard it is, we know it's a big tournament. So the goal is to get to the playoffs at least.

And do you think paiN can return to the level you showed at the Major, maybe not now but further into the season?

Of course. We have the team to do it. We have everything needed. I think the desire is what's missing.