By: Arjohn Roxas
With a playoff berth within reach, Salic “Hadji” Imam remains confident and composed — choosing calm over chaos — as Smart Omega fights for a spot in the MPL Philippines Season 16 playoffs.
In an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times, Hadji shared that while the team’s confidence remains high, their main focus is on staying mentally tough and quickly bouncing back from their recent loss to ONIC.
“Syempre ‘yung confidence ko andun pa rin, basta kung ano ‘yung mangyari tanggapin na lang namin,” he said.
“Siguro ‘wag kaming madown. Kailangan namin mag-bounce back agad para mapanalo namin ‘yung game bukas. ‘Wag namin isipin ‘yung nangyari ngayon, mag-focus na lang kami bukas.”
Despite the tight and highly competitive playoff race, the veteran midlaner emphasized the importance of maintaining composure and taking things one step at a time.
“Wala namang pressure, basta kung ano ‘yung mangyari, ‘yun na ‘yun,” Hadji said calmly.
“Di ko ine-expect (maghabol ng points), ang ine-expect ko lang makakapag-playoffs kami.”
When asked about their chances, Hadji remained optimistic yet grounded.
“Depende bukas, siguro 80 percent. Depende sa laro namin,” he said as they next face Aurora next.
Hadji’s steady presence and leadership will be crucial as Smart Omega seeks to reclaim a playoff spot after missing last season’s postseason.
