Elena Sadiku speaks to The Celtic Star ahead of Monday’s title showdown | OneFootball

Ahead of Monday’s possibly title-defining Glasgow Derby against theRangers at Broadwood, Celtic FC Women manager Elena Sadiku spoke to The Celtic Star. Here’s how our conversation with Elena went…

The Celtic Star: The point itself last night isn’t too bad in terms of the table and the implications of it?

Elena Sadiku: “Yeah. I think the most important is looking how we bounce back from the Saturday game. It’s something that we knew was going to be important coming into the game and I can just say that, first half especially, we went a goal behind after some minutes but how we responded to that with that mindset was incredible to see because I thought we dominated the first half, especially after the 10 minutes that I didn’t think we were really onto it. The second half, started well, conceded that goal but we really pushed to get one more goal in and that’s something that says how much hunger we have towards the next game so that was really pleasing to see as a coach.”

The Celtic Star:  Since the split, Celtic have scored the most and earned the most points. The Rangers have suffered two defeats in the split while we’re undefeated, so we’re going into this game on Monday with momentum and confidence as league leaders?

Elena Sadiku:  “Yeah 100%. Like you’re saying, I don’t even think about what (the)Rangers have done in the split or not, I think the most important is still believing in what we do and what we have been doing well because that’s the reason why we’re in the position that we are. And that’s something that the confidence needs to still build on is what we’ve done so far has been working because it has put us into a position where we are right now and that’s something that the only focus should be on is what we are doing and what we have done that has taken us so far.”

The Celtic Star: At Hampden, we struggled to get out from the back with their high press. Is there an option for Kelsey Daugherty to launch some long balls down the park?

Elena Sadiku: “Obviously, that game is something that I’m trying to forget and try to move on because it was not us at all. If you look at the game, I only thought that Celya Barclais was the best player, I don’t think that anyone else was as good as they can be. So I’m not going to say this is what we’ll change and this is what we’re going to do because that was not our best game and that’s something that we need to move on from and that’s what we did against Glasgow City so if you watch Glasgow City game, we created a lot of chances by not just kicking it long. We need to be confident in what we’re good at.”

The Celtic Star: Is Kit Loferski out for the season?

Elena Sadiku: “I don’t know the answer about being out for the season but obviously, she’s been missing some games now. Let’s see how the recovery goes with her foot, hopefully, we can see what happens on Monday or after that, but it doesn’t look too bright.

The Celtic Star: The Rangers budget is much higher than Celtic’s but Celtic are the team with plenty of money with £70m in the bank. For the summer, are you trying to argue that we should match them on spending in terms of recruitment?

Elena Sadiku: “It’s a good question. Obviously like, you know, you have some recruitment going on right now and hopefully we get some signings closed soon enough but for me, it’s trying to focus on what’s now because this is very important what we have ahead but hopefully we get good signings on the summer and we keep the players that we want to keep. That’s something you’ll get to know very soon, hopefully.”

The Celtic Star: Winning the title would go down in Celtic history but would also send you down the Champions route in the Champions League for you next season which would also open the door for more signings wanting to come to the club.

Elena Sadiku:  “Yeah, it’s just like you’re saying, I think the most important is focusing on what we can do now because that’s the only thing that we can control. Obviously, the Champions League spot is something that we really really want because we know that it’s important for us as a club. So whatever opens, opens but I try to not think too much about it because there’s one game at one time and that’s something that we can control.”

The Celtic Star: Matt O’Riley and Joe Hart were talking about how big of a club Celtic really is. What’s your experience of that now that you’ve been here for a few months?

21/05/03 UEFA CUP FINAL Henrik Larsson (left) scores for Celtic

Elena Sadiku: “I knew that Celtic was a huge club before coming here. Like I said before, Henrik Larsson has been a big idol of mine since I was a wee kid! But coming here, you see the facilities, you see how many people are here in the club, how good support we have in many different things. Barrowfield is soon to be ready for us, in hopefully October, and that’s something that not many teams have out in Europe so that’s something I’m very proud to be a part of because like I said, it’s a project that I’ve signed for and hopefully, throughout these years I’m going to be here, it’s going to be a lot of success coming in.”

The Celtic Star:  Remember that winning the league will make you the queen of queens!

Don’t forget the big SWPL1 title showdown between theRangers and Celtic FC Women at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld is live on Sky Sports tomorrow, Monday lunchtime. Kick-off is at 12 Noon. The two sides are level on points with four games to play. Celtic have a significant goal difference advantage.

The winner of this game is more than likely going to go on and win the title.  Celtic FC Women are chasing a first ever SWPL1 title and a chance to make history. COYGIG!

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