mousesports heads into Week 5 of ELEAGUE after dominating the ESL One Cologne 2016 qualifier, but they'll have to get through a tough-looking Na`Vi to top their group.

Ahead of their week in Atlanta, rifler and support Timo "Spiidi" Richter took the time to talk with theScore esports about his team's performances since the previous Major and the events they're most looking forward to.

How do you feel the team has been performing since MLG Major Championship: Columbus?

I think the MLG Major was a disappointment, because we didn’t get out of the group again and we weren’t happy as a team, but I think since the then we have been performing better.

We had a good [DreamHack Masters] Malmö event, with a disappointing loss to GODSENT, but we have to admit they played really good at that tournament. It’s OK, though — we beat Liquid, we beat Luminosity, and we were first in the group. So I think that’s OK, it’s an improvement.

RELATED: mousesports' chrisJ on the Major: 'I hope to finally be in the big arena'

You picked up a coach and an analyst, Navid "Kapio" Javadi and Niclas "enkay J" Krumhorn for the Major, but recently both were released from the team. What were some of the big takeaways from when they were on the team?

Kapio was just there for the MLG Major, and it was clear from the beginning that he would leave after it. It was a gamble for us, because he came into the team and started instantly calling, which was not good for us at all. He wasn’t familiar with our playstyle, and that’s normal — you need to play with a team for a long time to see how they play and how they react to calls. So that was a mistake from us maybe.

enkay J just analyzed our opponents. He did it very well, and that’s what he’s doing for EnVyUs now. However, we needed a caller as a coach, because sometimes we have some mental weakness. But enkay J couldn’t in-game lead.

I remember when I first talked to chrisJ before the Major, he was skeptical about what they could bring to the team. Was it a similar situation with your new coach Aleksandar "kassad" Trifunović?

I think that’s quite normal. If you get someone new that you don’t know at all, I think it’s good to be skeptical. You don’t know them, you don’t know what they’re capable of, so it’s normal that they need to gain your trust with hard work.

Until now kassad has done really well. For me at least, I trust him and I hope he will continue to do his job so we can improve together.

In an interview with Aftonbladet, Nikola "NiKo" Kovač dismisses community criticism and defends his teammates, including you. How does that public perception make you feel?

You read it everywhere, so we’re aware of it, but I’m actually more happy for NiKo that everyone is hyped for him. He’s a really cool guy, a really nice guy.

Every team has their superstar. NiKo plays really good CS, we learn a lot from him and he has the freedom to do everything he wants on our team. So if we prioritize our play for him, I think that’s OK. He has the biggest skill cap and he’s always on point.

Each of us tries to fill their role in order to be the best they can be. We are not jealous of NiKo’s role, but rather happy for him.

Nikola "NiKo" Kovač, mousesports' in-game leader and star player, during IEM Season X World Championship Katowice

You guys killed it at the qualifier for ESL One Cologne 2016. You went 3-0, you took down G2, who were probably one of the favorites in the tournament. How do you feel about that?

We had a really tough start against FLuffy Gangsters, they played really well. I think they prepared for us. Eventually we won, and that’s the only thing that matters.

My own performance was not really good. I’m not satisfied yet; I didn’t get to practice all that much before the qualifier because of private circumstances. I didn’t feel well-prepared on my own, but my team played really well, so I'm really happy for that. For example, denis in that G2 match went absolutely HAM. When we play like that, we can win any match.

Before going into the Major though, you will have your week at ELEAGUE. What are some of your expectations going to Atlanta?

Since everyone is really hyped about ELEAGUE, I’m also really hyped. Everyone on Twitter says it’s the best event so far and they like it so much.

I think we have a good group. Our toughest opponents are of course Na`Vi. I’m excited to see how they will play, but I have a good feeling for us — we have some momentum from the Major qualifier with us.

What about the format for ELEAGUE? The group stage is kind of a grueling seeding process.

I think it’s very good for us. Sometimes we have problems in our first matches, for example our match against FLuffy Gangsters at the Major qualifier; we need one or two matches to warm up. Also, everyone plays at least four matches, so three best-of-twos and one best-of-three, so I think it’s really cool for the teams and the viewers.

With all these leagues going on — ELEAGUE, ECS, ESL and more — is oversaturation becoming an issue?

There are many, many leagues and tournaments, and we didn’t have a break for months, which might be a little problem in esports. But when you take breaks, you lose practice, and then your opponents get stronger and stronger, and then you have problems. You need to practice all the time.

Right now I still like it. I don’t really think I need more free time, but maybe in the future.

What about the concern of burning out, or the risk of injury? Especially considering the fairly recent injuries of GuardiaN and olof.

Yeah, before that, no one really thought about injuries, but if you imagine your hand is broken or something, then suddenly your whole career is over. It’s a really big point actually, you have to take more care of yourself because anything can happen.

If you're injured just from playing, it’s a bit unlucky. It can happen at any time, but I also don’t think you should think about it too much.

Do you or your teammates do any physical therapy, or do you stretch or work your hands before practices or matches?

I actually don’t know what my teammates do, but I saw something on Twitter with some hand practice things. I do them before matches, but I don’t know if it helps. Maybe it’s just for placebo and it doesn’t do anything.

Back to the upcoming Major in Cologne — what do you think of your group, with Team Liquid, Virtus.pro and Team EnVyUs?

I like our group. It’s really cool right now that you don’t know what to expect from VP. Recently in practice they destroyed us, but they were knocked out of ESL Pro League. Then we have Liquid with a stand-in, and you don’t really know what to expect from them right now.

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When they drew the group, I think the casters said it’s the most inconsistent group, but I think we have a good chance. We have to improve from last year, at least for denis, nex and I. It’s a dream to play in such a big tournament, in front of a home crowd, so maybe that will push us to our limits.

It will be really cool to play against [EnVyUs] because they have enkay J as their coach now, and I’m pretty sure he really wants to beat us. He’s the best person to prepare EnVyUs for us.

It will be a really cool group, I’m pretty excited.

I don’t want to get into your head or anything, but you guys are probably the strongest team in that group. Is that a weird feeling to have?

I think if you want to win, you always have in your head that you’re the strongest team. For me, it’s a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance. You need that winning mentality.