FURIA is in trouble. They started 2025 with weak performances, failing to meet expectations. Last year, they finished in the top 11 at the Major and nearly made the playoffs, losing only to FaZe, one of the best teams at the event. However, this year has been much worse. They did not qualify for the main stage of BLAST Bounty 2025 Spring, losing to BetBoom, a team they should have beaten. Then, at IEM Katowice 2025, they won the Play-In stage but finished last in the main event, losing to NAVI and Astralis.

chelo is the problem

One of the biggest problems in FURIA right now is Marcelo "chelo" Cespedes. He plays aggressively but does not bring enough impact. He takes a lot of opening duels, but most of the time, he gets traded or loses them outright. A player in his role should be making a difference, but chelo struggles to do so. Because of this, FURIA cannot compete with top teams and remain stuck outside the top 10 rankings.

The team also decided to skip PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, officially to focus on visa preparations for the Major. This was the perfect time to make a roster change, as there was enough time to adjust before the next tournament. While it is now unlikely, replacing chelo should be FURIA’s next move.

The biggest Brazilian talent

The best option for FURIA is Felipe "insani" Yuji from MIBR. He is the top young talent in Brazil and has been carrying his team for over two years. Despite his incredible skill, MIBR has not achieved much. Their best result was a semifinal at ESL Pro League Season 20, and since then, they have struggled. They failed to qualify for the playoffs at the last Major and have had a terrible start to 2025.

They lost to FlyQuest at BLAST Bounty and managed only one win at IEM Katowice Play-In against Astralis. They also failed to qualify for BLAST Open Lisbon, losing to Imperial. Now, at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, they finished near the bottom again, winning only against Imperial Female. Their losses to Wildcard, 3DMAX, and Astralis show that MIBR is not improving.

MIBR has already made a change, as André "drop" Abreu moved to the bench. This leaves the team in an unstable situation ahead of the next Major. They brought back Breno "brnz4n" Poletto, but MIBR does not look like a team that will break into the top tier anytime soon. This makes it the perfect moment for insani to leave and join a stronger team like FURIA.

Comparing insani and chelo

Over the last six months, chelo has a rating of 5.7, while insani has a rating of 6.3. The difference is even bigger considering that MIBR is a weaker team. Insani plays at a high level despite having less support from his teammates. At 20 years old, he is already one of the most promising players in the scene.

Looking at playstyle, both players take opening fights frequently. Chelo has been involved in 29% of opening duels, winning 44% of them. Insani, on the other hand, takes slightly fewer duels — 26%, but wins 48%, making him much more effective. His impact is higher, and he could be even better in a stronger team like FURIA.

Adapting insani to FURIA’s roles

Some adjustments would be needed for insani to fit into FURIA. On the CT side, both players have similar aggressive roles, but not on all maps. For example (according to NER0cs' Positions Database), on Inferno, they both play Banana, so the transition would be easy. On other maps like Anubis and Dust2, they play different positions, but the switch can be managed. Insani plays Connector on Anubis, while chelo plays Mid. On Dust2, chelo plays Mid, while insani plays CT. These changes are not too complicated and should not take long to adjust.

On Nuke, chelo plays Ramp, but FURIA could move Yuri "yuurih" Boian there and let insani take Outside, where he is more comfortable. On Mirage, chelo plays Connector, while insani plays Short, which are both aggressive positions. If needed, yuurih could switch to Connector, and insani could take Short. These role swaps are manageable and would allow FURIA to maximize insani’s impact.

Why this move makes sense

Another reason why this transfer is logical is the situation in MIBR. They recently signed Lucas "Lucaozy" Neves, who plays a similar style to insani. This has created some conflicts, as both players try to take aggressive positions. Sometimes, they clash in-game because they both want to be the main playmaker. If insani leaves, Lucaozy would get more space, and MIBR could build around him.

For FURIA, getting insani would be a long-term investment. He is only 20 years old, while chelo is already 26. Chelo has reached his peak and is unlikely to improve much more, while insani still has room to grow. It would be an expensive transfer, but it would be worth it to get the team to the playoffs of BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025є. If FURIA wants to become a top team again, they need to make this move before the Major. Otherwise, they risk staying in their current position, struggling to break into the elite tier of CS2.