At just 41 years old, Luka Elsner’s playing career may not have turned many heads, but his managerial adventure has certainly made people take notice.

Elsner's path to the top flight of French football is a unique one. "Until I was 22, 23, and my move back to Slovenia, I never thought about being a professional football player because I didn't have much talent, especially not in France," he admits in an exclusive interview with The Ligue 1 Show. "That's why I studied and prepared to be in football but in another role. I stopped at 31, playing football because I wanted to get in early, make mistakes early, and gain experience as soon as possible. The passion for coaching was there very early on."

Elsner’s coaching philosophy

Elsner's coaching philosophy has been shaped by a mix of influences, including his grandfather, a great coach, and his father, who had a romantic view of football. "I try to mix both, and that makes my identity as a football coach," he explains.

At the start of his coaching career, Elsner admired the defensive mentality of Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid. "I think that's the right way to start your career in building your idea of football by making sure your defence is strong," he says. However, a few days spent with Mauricio Pochettino during his time at Tottenham left a lasting impression on him. "He inspired me so much with the humanity of his connection with the players."

Much like Simeone's Atletico Madrid, Elsner's Le Havre side is built on a solid defence. Last season, the Ligue 2 BKT champions kept an impressive 21 clean sheets and conceded just 19 goals. Elsner's meticulous attention to detail in coaching and high-intensity training plays a significant role. However, like Pochettino, he also places great importance on creating a special team spirit.

"We for sure have in Le Havre a culture of hard work," Elsner says. "We have to work on that every day, and I think the easiest way to do it is through training. If we work hard, long hours, making sure that our sessions are tough and intense. But also being relaxed and having fun with the guys, with the staff."

Le Havre is a club that values its players' development, utilising resources such as data, video analysis, nutrition, and psychology. However, Elsner emphasises that the most critical aspect of football is creating a cohesive team with strong connections, where players work hard for each other.

Can Le Havre get their first win? 

With just three games into Le Havre's Ligue 1 Uber Eats campaign, Elsner's side is yet to secure their first win. However, the young coach believes he has learned from his previous stint in France's top tier, where he suffered relegation with Amiens.

"I have learned to be very flexible in my game model," Elsner reflects. "I've made mistakes at some points when we wanted to show good football, and strategically the opponent was ready for that. We definitely don't want to be naive. It's nice to look like a cool team, but it could be 2-0 or 3-0 to the opponent, so that's what I want to prevent. We have to be good on many levels, but we don't want to be boring."

This season promises to be far from boring in Ligue 1 Uber Eats, with a mix of young, talented coaches like Elsner and experienced heads taking charge of teams. "I think there have been many decades where it was a lot of the same coaches turning around in France," Elsner notes, "and now there are new structures with foreign investors in many clubs, and they are more open to giving opportunities to younger coaches or coaches from abroad. I think it's not such a bad thing for French football because it will diversify a bit more. It will be a nice clash of generations, and it will give us many great battles to look at in Ligue 1, and I am excited about it."