Despite a tough start in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) Spring Split, GIANTX is determined to bounce back and get back to where they were in January. Until then, the team's new jungler, Ismaïl "ISMA" Boualem, sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss the team's recent performances, his SK Gaming bench, and his new teammates in an exclusive interview.

GX finished the first week of the LEC 0-2 after losses to Fnatic and Vitality. I'm guessing it wasn't the start you were hoping for. How do you feel about it?

Ismaïl "ISMA" Boualem: "Clearly, it's not the start we were expecting. I thought we'd play better on stage, especially as our scrims are going really well. It's not like it was with SK, where our training sessions were already complicated, and we were expecting disappointing results. Right now, I'm frustrated, particularly by my own performance. With Vi, I didn't play well, and neither did I with Skarner... These were games that we were in control of, but we let them slip away because of mistakes, like a TP behind at the wrong time, a lack of coordination... It was a mess.

However, there was still a positive side. Against Vitality, we had every chance of winning. Against Fnatic, honestly, they're just better than us at the moment. But the second game could have been won easily. It happens, there's not much you can do about it, you just have to move on. The scrims are still encouraging, and we've got some good individuals, but with what happened with SK, I've lost a bit of confidence on stage. I sometimes have doubts when it is time to engage, but I hope things will get better if we manage to pick up a few wins.

The atmosphere at GIANTX and SK really is like night and day, isn't it? You said that your first week of scrims with SK ended on a 4-34...

ISMA: Yeah, I can't remember exactly, but it was something like that... The atmosphere in SK was not good at all, or even really bad. With GX, it's much, much better, honestly.

With this new atmosphere and the new coaching staff, do you think it will help you to develop yourself better this year? Do you think you'll be able to get back to where you were last year with SK, or even go further?

ISMA: I really hope so. I'd even like to become even better. At the moment, I'm not showing it, but I believe in it and I'm doing everything I can to make it happen.

After being benched by SK, traded to KCB and then bought by GIANTX, what was your reaction? Did you expect to be pushed out of SK?

ISMA: Honestly, I didn't think I was going to be benched by SK. But well... that's it. In the end, I think KCB was a better option than SK, so I wasn't unhappy. With GIANTX, I was even luckier. But at the time, no, I wasn't expecting it. After the last game of the Winter split, I didn't think I was going to be benched.

Do you feel the need to prove to SK that they were wrong?

ISMA: I want to play well, but... that's not what I'm doing at the moment. So I'm going to concentrate on that and then we'll see.

Last year, you played the whole season with Nisqy (Yasin Dinçer), who is known for his shotcalling. This year, you've had a more difficult time with RKR (Steven Chen). How is the adjustment going with Jackies (Adam Jeřábek)?

ISMA: Honestly, I think Jackies is a very good midlaner. But at the moment, even with Jun (Yoon Se-jun), I'm having some trouble seeing exactly what we want to do in the game. After that, Jackies really has potential and I'm happy to play with him, because he's a more carry-oriented mid. And I think I'm really good at creating plays and playing proactively. So, it could work out well, but we'll see over the next few weeks.

You're performing well in scrims, but at the moment you're at 0-2 in BO3. Where does this lack of coordination come from? Is it linked to the stress of the start of the split?

ISMA: We lack confidence in the game, but above all, we're just not coordinated. Today against Vitality, the first game was supposed to be winnable, but we did some weird things and went too far without really knowing where to draw the line. We just don't seem to be in sync with each other. We'll see after a week.

During the Winter Split, Closer (Can Çelik) was seen as the shotcaller and captain of GX. Now that you're taking his place, how do you feel about that role? Do other players do the shotcalling, or is it mainly you?

ISMA: We all do a bit. There isn't really a dedicated shotcaller. Generally, it's the strongest player in the game who makes the decisions. But at the moment, we don't really have a leader or a main shotcaller.

When you joined the team, were you asked to play like Closer, or is the adaptation going both ways?

ISMA: It's a mix of both, to be honest. I try to adapt to what we want to do, and they also adapt a little to me. We all make an effort, and in the end we just try to play well.

After a difficult Winter Split, how would you rate yourself among the other LEC junglers? Do you think you can get back to your best level with this team?

ISMA: I hope so. I haven't shown it yet, so we'll see. At the moment, I think I'm at the bottom of the league standings. If we're talking about the best junglers, I'd say that SkewMond (Rudy Semaan), Yike (Martin Sundelin) and Razork (Iván Martín Díaz) are above me at the moment. But it also depends from day to day. I know I can be much better, maybe even the best, but at the moment I'm not there yet.

Do you think this change back to a 7-week split in BO3 gives you more time to progress, or do you still feel some pressure to make it to the top 6 and qualify for the playoffs?

ISMA: At the moment there's no stress, we've only played two days. But if things don't go well over the next few weeks, we'll certainly start to feel stressed out. We'll see how things work out.

Next week you'll be playing against Rogue, who started the split quite badly. How do you feel about the match?

ISMA: I'm confident, because I don't think Rogue is very strong. But in the end, I'm approaching it like any other match: I'm just going to try to do my best in-game and play well.

In week 3, you'll face SK Gaming, your old team. Do you feel any particular motivation for this match?

ISMA: Kind of, but not really. As far as I'm concerned, all teams are more or less equal. You can win or lose against anyone. Of course, it's my old team, but in my mind that doesn't change much.

What do you think of Boukada (Mehdi Lahlou), who has taken your place at SK?

ISMA: I think he can be really good, I've known him for a while. The problem is that it's not easy being a jungler at SK. When you have losing lanes, it's complicated to show yourself. I'm a bit worried about him in that respect. If his team doesn't perform well, it could be difficult for him, especially as it's his first LEC experience. I don't know how he's dealing with the stress, but I hope he'll be able to show what he's capable of.

Any final words for your fans?

ISMA: I'd like to thank everyone. When I joined KCB, I received an enormous amount of support, and it was the same when I moved to GX. So, thank you very much, and I hope to win in the coming days and weeks."