When it comes to Coach Daeny, many League of Legends (LoL) fans, especially those of T1, certainly remember him well. This coach is quite unique as he achieved glory with Damwon Gaming but completely failed at T1. After that, he returned to lead DWG KIA but left the LCK just over a year later. He is currently coaching Weibo Gaming (WBG) – one of the most fan-favored teams in the country of over a billion people.
One of Coach Daeny’s most significant marks during his time at T1 was his “daring” decision to bench Faker. This choice sparked intense controversy and affected the player who replaced Faker at the time, Clozer. Furthermore, in many statements back then, Coach Daeny was not shy to claim that Faker was the reason T1 suffered many defeats. This has caused many LPL fans to worry that the coach could make WBG “stir up trouble”, especially since this team consists of many famous names, strong personalities, and a large fanbase.
Recently, a similar situation to when Coach Daeny was at T1 has occurred, as many predicted. Specifically, in the last week of the LPL Summer 2023 group stage, WBG managed to secure only 1 win (against Royal Never Give Up). The rest was a loss to Invictus Gaming (a team currently at the bottom half of the standings). This loss made Coach Daeny dissatisfied. Even though WBG currently holds a safe position, their final match will be against Edward Gaming (EDG). A poor result could make this team’s playoff journey a bit more difficult.
Additionally, the way WBG lost to IG was quite pitiful and worth discussing. Coach Daeny made a controversial statement about this. He remarked: “The players played too hastily. I don’t understand why they played like that. The players need to play more calmly. With the mistakes made, if repeated, no matter how we draft, we won’t win.”
However, it is clear that the strategy and playstyle of the players must be guided and discussed by the coaching staff beforehand. Therefore, the poor performance of WBG players partly reflects on Coach Daeny’s responsibility. This coach likely understands that the LPL is just as ruthless as the LCK, and just one oversight could lead him to repeat past mistakes at T1, especially with his statements.