Problems and ways to solve them: in what direction should Vitality move?

The competitive scene in CS:GO is taking a well-deserved break. However, the big organizations that didn't make headway with their squads in the first half of the 2022 season are slowly waking up and entering the transfer market. One of the most famous clubs in need of a boost is Vitality. In our new column, we will try to understand why the team failed to build a solid foundation after the high-profile acquisition of the Danes, and also try to figure out what options the leadership of the French organization has. As a result, we must come to a common denominator and understand what future Vitality has?

Transfers with a reserve for the Major

End of 2022. Every second dog in Paris knows about the upcoming transition of four-time Major winners from Astralis to Vitality. On paper, the transfer of dupreeh, Magisk, and coach zonic automatically takes the team to new heights and sets them ambitious goals. It seemed that in a month the team would find a compromise and build a unique playing style that would bring Vitality victory at the Major.

At first, the puzzle is going well, as the Danish-French project is in the top three at BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2022, blowing their legs after just one defeat by FaZe Clan in the group stage. It seems like there is more to come. However, Vitality immediately falls apart, not getting into the playoffs of Intel Extreme Masters XVI - Katowice.

It seems that they got off lightly, but that was not the case, because the team then falls through the group stage of ESL Pro League Season 15, losing the chance to reach the playoffs even after the fourth round. The result is only two victories and three defeats, which make the leadership think. However, no major improvement was foreseen as Vitality continued to fail tournament after tournament, narrowly qualifying for the Antwerp Major after a weak performance at the RMR tournament.

Moreover, the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 itself turned out to be a disaster for the Danish-French team, as it failed to repeat its last year result, stopping a step away from reaching the playoffs. And yet, Vitality's gaming problems went beyond even what might seem like a real success for some teams.

Glitches of hope appear in the summer, when the team stops one step away from reaching the playoffs of Intel Extreme Masters XVII - Dallas, and then reaches the grand final of BLAST Premier: Spring Finals 2022, where they suffer a catastrophic defeat from NAVI with a score of 0:2. Nevertheless, the patience of the club's leadership has reached its limit, and after another failure at Intel Extreme Masters XVII - Cologne, the first reshuffles begin.

Why did the Danish-French project Vitality fail?

The original idea to go on a gamble and sign star players who speak a completely different language and have a radically different style looked dubious. But the leadership of the French organization was not embarrassed by the shortcomings of ZywOo in terms of communication. In addition, Vitality turned a blind eye to a number of game shortcomings that this transfer promised even at the time of its approval.

As a result, the fans of the club immediately got a lot of problems at the exit, while their favorites fell out of the contenders for big victories for a long time. Oddly enough, but the first reason for the failure of Vitality is communication. Everyone knew how poorly ZywOo spoke and understood English. However, accelerated language courses did not help the TOP-2 sniper of the world to return and lead the team. As a result, we got a pale shade of Mathieu, which only occasionally reminded of last year's assembly.

In addition, for six months, Vitality has not managed to find a compromise between the impulsiveness of the French and the accuracy of the Danes. As a result, the team was lost in individual matches, while each side tried to adapt to new ideas and principles.

What is the bottom line: the first half of the 2022 season was a real failure for the Danish-French team. However, the leadership of the organization did not roll back to last year's version, having taken, it seems, the simplest, but painfully unreasonable decision - to get rid of misutaaa.

Is there any chance for Vitality to return?

Keeping in mind the latest news about the imminent departure of misutaaa, it is necessary to understand that Vitality is unlikely to go further and begin a grand restructuring. Still, it's worth keeping in mind that the organization will have to look further to solve all its problems if it does not want to completely ruin the talent of ZywOo.

Of course, a direct replacement for misutaaa won't take long to find. To close a problematic role, it is enough to shuffle the positions between the players by signing a star with a good aim. The first thing that comes to mind is Spinx, which neL says is a prime candidate for Vitality. And yet, the matter is not limited to one Israeli, because right now there are enough players who are ready to strengthen any TOP club.

First of all, we should talk about jks, whose transfer fee, according to some experts, is $200,000. At the same time, Vitality is unlikely to be scared away by the salary of the Australian, who, as it seems, is already tired of vegetating in Complexity Gaming.

The second option, again excluding Spinx, could be Zyphon. For Vitality, whose squad is almost half Danish, this transfer may appeal to more than just financial considerations. First, a 19-year-old player will fit in perfectly in position. Secondly, there should be no problems with adaptation, since dupreeh, Magisk and zonic will play their part.

And yet, you need to understand that Vitality's problems will not go anywhere if the team completes just one transfer. Given the above, the team will have to roll back their settings if they want to return to the top of the competitive Olympus. In this regard, there is only one really true option - a return to the French composition.

It seems that there are enough free agents on the scene that Vitality will like in the short term. No one is talking about the return of Kyojin - this option is ridiculous in itself - but there are already a lot of experienced players in the market who can return Vitality to the charts.

Firstly, we need to close the coaching position, which will probably be left unattended if the team agrees to part with the Danes. And here, given the latest rumors around G2 Esports, the return of XTQZZZ comes in handy.

Speaking of players, you can't discount JACKZ. If Vitality needs a reliable player with a lot of experience, there is no better option. As for the second position, today there are enough players from TIER-2 teams who have been waiting for their promotion or a second chance (here is which way to look). Of course, we are talking about HEET and Falcons Esports, where bodyy and hAdji stand out in their roles. Looking back a few years, the latter already fell into the sphere of Vitality's interests, but did not grow together.

We just have to watch the "transfer window" and wait for a response from Vitality. It is unlikely that the club will make major changes, and yet the only right decision for the team will be to return to the French squad. However, the signing of one bright star will still be a landmark event for the competitive scene, since, at least for the first couple of months, genuine interest will be riveted to Vitality.