Formal or informal? It reveals much about Habib Diarra that his elation at being elevated from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was mixed with anxiety over the two distinct words for “you.”
Would addressing new, established teammates by using “tu” be seen as disrespectful? In the end, the young midfielder played safe and selected the more formal “vous”. Cue wholesale laughter from the older players who instructed him not to be so ridiculous; he was one of them now.
“After I had the first call with the coach, I sat down and said to my parents: ‘Sunderland’s where I want to be; that’s where I want to play.’ The Premier League was always a ambition of mine and the coach presented me with a clear and interesting project.”
Almost five years later, Diarra is settled in an office at the club's training ground detailing why he turned down offers from, among others, several top European clubs. His innate courtesy remains but it is evident that the 22-year-old Senegal international and doubt are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the self-assurance befitting a player who led Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco clutching an Africa Cup of Nations championship trophy.
A Clear Project
Now that the groin issue that kept him out for much of the opening months of the league campaign resolved, Diarra is on a mission to show exactly why he agreed to become Sunderland’s most expensive acquisition last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal queried Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s reputation as a gifted youth coach.
“It came as no shock by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I realised he was very good, very strong tactically. He’s someone I know is aiding my development. And although our first objective is reaching 40 points, European qualification is certainly a achievable goal this season.”
A Unified Environment
Outside, the chilly February wind and driving rain makes Wearside look as bleak as it is often depicted. Internally, things are much more welcoming. The atmosphere is devoid of the type of tension found in certain clubs where office workers are kept apart from first-team players. Diarra describes the environment as “very organic” and commends Le Bris’s role in its creation.
“The coach always says to us that we’re like a family here and we all support each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”
Freedom Within a Framework
If the organisation, discipline and immense effort supporting Sunderland’s defensive organization are a testament to the head coach’s attention to minutiae, Le Bris also likes his players to use their initiative. He offers his midfielders complete licence to improvise and interchange positions.
“The coach sets his tactics out within a structure but we have license to play within it,” says Diarra, who favors playing as a all-action No 8. “Out on the pitch that is empowering. That freedom is so important. Granit, our skipper, guides us a lot. He’s a really big player and a superb role model.”
Path and Settlement
Diarra is speaking through a French interpreter but his English has advanced to the point where he can grasp most questions. He is now concentrating on acquiring the language skills to also answer them, which would be his third tongue. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in his hometown near the Senegalese capital.
His early maturity helped him deal with the frustration of needing an operation followed by four months on the sidelines last autumn. “Getting hurt so soon after arriving here was frustrating, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to manage myself.”
Diarra is now anticipating playing in this summer’s global tournament. Given Senegal have been drawn in the same group as France, a poignant reunion awaits the former Les Bleus under-21 midfielder. “I loved playing for France but my inner feeling prevailed,” says Diarra. “I have no remorse. I was born in Senegal; it makes me proud to play for them.”
Similar emotions apply to Sunderland. “I’ve adapted very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”
