Ninjas in Pyjamas innan finalen i Katowice. Foto: ESL

The Ninjas in Pyjamas lost an extremely close finals against their arch rivals Fnatic during ESL One Katowice.

A couple of days after the loss, and with Gfinity around the corner, Patrik ”F0rest” Lindberg talks about the future with Allu, how the team made it to five major finals – and his feelings after a weak T-side on Inferno.

– I’m deeply disappointed in my performance and I know I can do better, the NiP star tells Aftonbladet Esport.

Swedish CS:GO-fans received a real treat this weekend when the dream finals between Ninjas in Pyjamas and Fnatic during a major became a reality once more. But in contrast to the finals in Cologne, this time Fnatic came out on top, becoming the first team in CS:GO history with double major titles.

For NiP, the preparations were hectic once more as they switched AWP:ers only weeks before another major, when Mikail ”Maikelele” Bill had to make room for Aleksi ”Allu” Jalli.

”Didn’t have time to prepare one hundred percent”

During the tournament, Allu was one of the most standout players in NiP and it now looks as if he’s closer to transforming the tryout contract into a full-time version.

– With both Maikelele and Allu we made it to a major finals despite a short practice time. Of course you have to think about that too, that we didn’t have time to prepare one hundred percent, especially since Allu doesn’t even speak Swedish. But we only think we can become better from here on forward, so it feels good, Patrik ”F0rest” Lindberg tells Aftonbladet Esport and continues:

– The way it feels right now Allu is a given in the team. As long as he feels happy and satisfied we’ll continue with him and see where it takes us.

”Our timing was off during our T half”

Against Fnatic, NiP lost Dust2 narrowly, only to come back on Cache with a solid performance ending the map 16-10. But when it was time for the decider on Inferno, the map that gave NiP their major win at ESL One Cologne, F0rest and his teammates saw themselves at a huge disadvantage after the T-side.

– The rounds we were gonna do didn’t click and things didn’t turn out the way we planned. They picked us off one by one, that’s how I saw the game during our T half. Our timing was off and it put us in a hard position.

”I see things I could’ve done ten times better”

And for Lindberg personally the first half was a disaster as he after 15 rounds only managed three kills.

– During the game I don’t put much weight on it, I just want the team to win. As long as we take rounds I’m happy, but afterwards when you look at how the game turned out and what could’ve been done better I’m deeply disappointed in my performance. I see the mistakes I did, things I could’ve done ten times better, and it takes a toll on me when it happens on a map where it can’t happen. But I know I can do better and I’m trying to not get myself down because of it. Sometimes it happens to the best, he says.

As CT F0rest, who recently switched positions with Christopher ”GeT_RiGhT” Alesund, performed better but he still has some thoughts about the way he played.

– I don’t think I had the strongest of CT sides either, I could’ve done better. When it came to retakes on the A site I was a bit absent. I haven’t had much practice since we switched positions but the team says they trust me and that I can do better.

– I’ve been playing the A site for many years but sometimes you need changes to get a new frame of mind. We’re happy with the switch but it’s just about getting more practice.

”You can’t bring yourself down because of a second place”

Fnatic could then secure the win even though NiP managed to come back from 11-4 to 15-13. But a few days after the finals, F0rest is still happy with what the team showed in Katowice.

– Once we’ve processed the whole finals we realized we’re pretty satisfied. Not completely satisfied, but we performed well. We just have to look at the mistakes we did and try to do it better next time and I’m sure we’ll win the next finals.

– I always try to look at things with a positive mindset and you can’t bring yourself down because of a second place. It’s an amazing accomplishment that we, out of the best teams in the world, manage to make it to the finals. Fnatic have been there three times and we’ve been there five times. At least we make it there and then it’s down to very small things that decide wether or not we win.

”We have to be the team with the strongest psyche”

And Lindberg says he’s impressed with the way his team handled the deciding map even though they had an ”impossible” obstacle to climb.

– What impresses me the most and what I’m trying to say is that right now we have to be the team with the strongest psyche when it comes to these kind of games. That we, in a finals this big, managed to make Fnatic doubt themselves and become uncomfortable even though they had such a big lead, that we can come back the way we did. Our whole team believed we would take it to overtime and win it, so we felt good.

”I believe in keeping a positive attitude”

I’ve seen some comments about your POV streams and how you always manage to stay so calm and focused despite being behind. How have you managed to get that kind of communication and mood in the team?

– It’s a pretty early mentality we’ve had and something I’ve believed in for a long time. To keep a positive attitude and believe in each other. You can’t sit there and be negative even if a person makes a mistake. There’s no need to point out and will only hurt the team spirit, plus the person in question will feel worse. At the end of the day we know that mistakes will happen and we have to make as few as possible. But when they do happen you have to support the player and raise the level, and that goes for the whole team. We have a calm tone when we play and compete and we try to get each other psyched. We try to do that when we practice too.

”It’s a shame Fnatic aren’t coming to Gfinity”

Now, NiP are looking forward to Gfinity this coming weekend and after the finals in Katowice they will be viewed by many as the favourites to win the event.

– We haven’t been the favorites at an event for four months but I guess we’re the favorites now. But EnVyUs is a strong team so we can’t count them out. Virtus.Pro will also be there and Titan will be looking to avenge themselves. I don’t know where we stand and I think the tournament is pretty open but we have a lot of confidence after Katowice. It’s a shame that Fnatic aren’t coming, so we would have a chance at a quick revenge.

”BO5 finals are fun for those watching”

The groups at Gfinity are BO3:s and the finals is a BO5, something F0rest thinks can benefit NiP, who have historically been bad at BO1 groups.

– I think we peak in BO3:s. The whole team becomes more comfortable and less random things can happen. On one map, everything can go to hell but over three maps it can’t.

What are your thoughts on a BO5 finals?

– I talked to the team about it and as long as it’s on a separate day we’ll manage it. We practice 7-8 hours each day so it shouldn’t be a problem. I would’ve loved BO5 in Katowice, haha.

– And it’s fun for those watching, so they can get the most out of the games.