Balance, intensity and love: Häcken coach Elena Sadiku speaks to UEFA Women's Champions League fanzine Queenzine
Thursday, November 5, 2026
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"Football is the love of my life" Häcken coach Elena Sadiku tells UEFA Women's Champions League fanzine Queenzine.
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Injury complications forced Elena Sadiku to end her playing career at just 24 years old, but her football love has found new and vivid expression in the world of coaching.
Sadiku, who lists Emma Hayes and Jürgen Klopp as inspirations, has worked in China, Sweden, Denmark, England and Scotland across an ascendant coaching career that now sees her taking on the UEFA Women's Champions League with Häcken after leading the Swedish club to the inaugural UEFA Women's Europa Cup last term.
The 32-year-old delves into her coaching philosophy, shares learnings about balance and states her undiminished love for football in an interview with Queenzine.
Elena Sadiku on her coaching philosophy
"That's one of the most important things I've taken with me [from my playing career], being clear and straightforward in the way you communicate, explaining things simply, but also staying close to your players and being present as a leader.
"I think that's what people need in general. You need to feel seen and heard, and to feel part of a community, in order to feel good and perform well. I'm very tough and demanding but I also have a big heart and I care about the people I work with.
"Football is the love of my life. It sounds awful to say but I love it that much. But the job is also about working with people."
On learning the importance of balance
"I've prioritised football when perhaps I shouldn't have [in the past] and I've worked too much when I should have taken time to relax. That's something I've learned: to find a better balance in life. I want to make sure that my friends and family feel that I prioritise them whenever I can.
"I would never want to win a title and have no one to celebrate it with. That would be the worst thing that could happen."
On Häcken's tactical identity
"I believe in very intense football, playing on the front foot. Of course, we need to be good on the ball. We want to create scoring chances and we want to be strong in many different aspects of the game. As soon as we lose the ball, we want to win it back immediately. Everything needs to be intense.
"We've established such a clear identity in the way we play that all the players understand how we want to play. When we have these big games or a lot of matches to play, you have to be able to put the pieces together and think about what the game requires, what we need for our game plan and which players are best suited to carry it out."
On winning the UEFA Women's Europa Cup
"Winning a European trophy is not something everyone can achieve during their career but to also write history and become the first to win the UEFA Women's Europa Cup is special. Especially to share it with the staff and the players and everyone working around the team. For the club, it just shows that what we do at Häcken is very special and unique."
This interview is from issue nine of Queenzine, the UEFA Women's Champions League fanzine. Read it here!
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