Brighton star Jayden admits he was shocked by Tekkz’s early eChampions League exit

Jayden "Jayden" Groden has made a great start to his eChampions League campaign, having advanced through to the final 16 directly from the League Phase of the competition. Representing Brighton, Jayden has narrowly missed out on the ePremier League title two years in a row. He is already much better placed than in last years eChampions League, where he struggled to make an impact.

esports.gg spoke to the Brighton man ahead of his first Knockout Phase game. As of writing, Jayden was waiting to see who his opponent would be in the last 16.

As a result of finishing in the top eight in the League Phase, Jayden starts his day watching and waiting for his next opponent. He will face the winner of Ilian and Bradley in the next round.

"Honestly,  I'm not really concerned about who it is. It's just more I'm really itching to get going and play that game. But they're both amazing players and I'm just really looking forward to it. I think it's very important to watch the game to see what they both do and then because if I do that, it might give me bit of an edge when we play."

Just like in traditional football, who an FC Pro faces determines their approach to the match.

"I have a game plan and there's certain things that I do consistently depending on whether the opponent do the same thing like for example if they attack with a full back I will attack down that side however  every opponent defends definitely, attacks definitely so you've definitely got to adjust a little bit but overall I do try to stay consistent and then just adapt a little bit."

Unlike in the traditional Champions League, which is interweaved amongst a domestic season, Jayden's advancement past the round of 32 means that he will be facing an opponent fresh off a game - having not played today himself. However, the risk of "feeling cold" is not a worry for the Brighton player.

"I think with the way the format is and how quick the transitions are between games, it's been really good. And I don't think there's anyone out there that could say they've been cold because the maximum time you're waiting is two rounds, and I had that and I felt fine when I went back on so compared to last year when I had to wait four hours for a game and this time around it definitely feels a lot better and the format's amazing.

"[Does not playing today yet worry you?] Not really to be honest because at the E-Premier League it's the same situation whereas if you don't finish top of the group you've got a day before of knockouts to get to the final eight so like you could say the same thing and both times we've made it all the way to the final so it just gives me more motivation that they've got to win two games, I've only got to win one."

One of the eChampions League shocks so far has been the elimination of Manchester City star Tekkz. He failed to advance to the Knockout Phase entirely, despite being a pre-event favourite.

"Obviously Tekkz not making it through is crazy. Obviously it is bittersweet because Tekkz is one of of the good guys, I'd say but it does make the competition a little bit easier. He's one person I wouldn't want to play, although I did beat him last time!"

Jayden feels that his exit is a great example of the strength and depth of FC competition on display at the eChampions League.

"I think it's the quality and the depth to be honest because the amount of amazing FC players here is just insane. I myself feel out of my depth a little bit! It just shows that when you've got Tekkz and Bonnano who do so well when they were both on the verge of elimination that anything can happen."

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