Former Coach Xoma Reveals The Harsh Truth About Virtus.pro
When asked about the circumstances of his removal from Virtus.pro and how its CEO said he was “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Xoma said
Well, one could say that if we disregard many things that were happening in the team at the time, but the most important aspect was time. I didn't get enough time, so there's no way to see for sure if my ideas worked or not. But I understood one thing: When you get into a tier 1 team, you're on a very tight schedule. And in that schedule, it's super hard to exist and even find time to practice. And unfortunately, when I got into the team, we had five tournaments in a row, we couldn't find a common language and mutual understanding.
When asked about the biggest problems that faced Virtus.pro and how they could improve on it, Xoma said
I came into an existing team. Usually, I try to assemble a team with synergy in mind in addition to in-game aspects. And unfortunately, Virtus.pro lack that synergy. Because all the guys are very strong professionals, everyone has ideas, but sometimes an agreement can't be reached. I had some ideas, but the amount of time before the RMR and overall schedule wouldn't allow any changes. Such rushed moves lead to an even more unclear result, and no one can know if it's worth doing at the time or if it's better to wait for the main events to finish.
When asked about his relationship with the team and how they viewed him as less of a leader, Xoma said
I can confidently say that the guys are professionals and fully devoted to the game, and I don't have any complaints about them. But the guys have huge experience; they've got their egos, and it's hard to find an approach to unite them. Perhaps I lacked the experience to defend some of my ideas sometimes, and maybe sometimes I lacked the understanding of some things. Nevertheless, we've always had a constructive dialogue. We could always find some points of agreement. I wouldn't say it was very tough in that sense; it was just hard to find some common ideas. Due to that, we moved very slowly.
When asked about why he joined Aurora as well as what it has been like there, Xoma said
Firstly, I was indeed interested in working with Aurora. They've got a new CEO who's a good friend of mine and whom I know very well. I believe he can build the right process in the team. I've known the guys for a long time and knew where I was going. I've joined to help [Aurora's coach] brain, who remains in charge for now. My goal is to find some new ideas, some common ground, and help rebuild the schedule and their practice. I'm just providing support until the Major, where brain will be the head coach. My goal is to help the team reveal their strengths.
After Virtus.pro, I wouldn't say I had many options, but I had multiple. And there was an easy choice: either I skip this Major cycle or participate in it in some form. So I decided that I needed to move on and I definitely shouldn't skip this Major cycle.
When asked at the end how he reflects on his short time on Virtus.pro, that is, as something that hurt his career or furthered his career, Xoma said
It's always like this in life: if you don't try it, you won't know it. When I was invited to join Virtus.pro, I had doubts about them being an already existing team, having their own vibe and their own ideas, and I wasn't sure if I could change something.
But I also knew: if you don't try it, you won't know it. So, for me, it's experience. Maybe not the most positive one if you consider how it all turned out, but I've made my own conclusions. I've gained a lot of new knowledge, and now I understand how the guys think on that level.
