TSM names Parth head coach at Doublelift and Bjergsen’s request

Team SoloMid has reinstated Parth Naidu as its LCS head coach, the organization announced just one day before its debut in the 2020 LCS Summer Split.

TSM is really going for a throwback feel with Parth as the team’s head coach. Peter Zhang will return to TSM Academy and share coaching duties there with Joshua Mabrey. According to the announcement, newly signed AD carry Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng, along with mid laner and part-owner Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, requested the change in the coaching staff. Players felt that Parth bette runderstood how this particular roster might work. Parth acted as TSM’s coach between 2016 and 2017, arguably the most successful years for the organization’s League of Legends team.

“During the off season, I’ve been working closely with Bjergsen and Doublelift to create and implement a collective vision of what TSM is going to look like for the upcoming years. I have no doubt that this roster has what it takes to win LCS, and it’s my responsibility to make it happen,” Parth said in the announcement.

Is TSM doing the right thing with Parth as coach?

So far, it seems like TSM’s strategy is to let players take control of the team’s situation. Giving a player such agency is not unheard of, but letting players decide the members of the coaching staff is probably not the best move for TSM. It could lead to a power struggle between the coach and the players should things go wrong. Parth may also find it difficult to act with authority when he knows that two of his players are responsible for his position.

TSM seems to believe that getting the same players and coaches from 2016 will serve to make them win again in the LCS. Fans are celebrating the decision, even though many of those same fans of the team once asked for Doublelift, support Vincent “Biofrost” Wang, or Parth to be removed to begin with.

The 2016 TSM roster is nearly back in full, and while this reunion brings with it a lot of nostalgia, it will hardly bring the team back to Worlds. League of Legends as a game and the LCS as a whole have changed dramatically since the last time Doublelift, Biofrost, and Bjergsen played on stage together. Organizations such as Evil Geniuses, Cloud9, and FlyQuest are in control at the top of the standings. There doesn’t seem to be much of a middle of the pack anymore, either. You’re either at the top or at the bottom.

It must also be considered that the players on TSM are not necessarily the best players in their roles anymore. On top of that, TSM is starting a jungler that already proved to be ineffective for the team. TSM fans will have to hope that the power of friendship and memories of the good old days are enough to take TSM to Worlds. Otherwise, this prestigious LCS brand will be right back where it started before making these latest moves.