Formal or informal? It reveals much about Habib Diarra that his delight at being promoted from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the senior squad was mixed with anxiety over the two distinct words for “you.”
Would addressing new, older teammates by using “tu” be regarded as too familiar? Ultimately, the young midfielder played safe and selected the more polite “vous”. Cue widespread amusement from the older players who told him not to be so ridiculous; he was one of them now.
“Once I received the first call with the coach, I reflected 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 outlined for me a clear and interesting project.”
Roughly half a decade later, Diarra is sitting in an office at the club's training ground detailing why he ignored overtures from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His natural politeness remains but it is evident that the young Senegal international and uncertainty are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the self-assurance suited to a player who led Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco clutching an Africa Cup of Nations winners’ medal.
A Defined Vision
Now that the groin issue that kept him out for much of the first half of the league campaign resolved, Diarra is on a mission to demonstrate precisely why he agreed to become Sunderland’s most expensive acquisition last summer. Pundits in France and Senegal queried Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s standing as a gifted youth coach.
“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s capable of,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I realised he was very good, very strong in terms of strategy. He’s someone I know is helping my game progress. And although our first objective is reaching 40 points, a place in Europe is certainly a achievable goal this season.”
A Family Atmosphere
Outside, the cold winter gusts and heavy downpour makes Wearside look as bleak as it is often stereotyped. Internally, things are much more welcoming. The atmosphere is free of the type of strain notable at certain clubs where office workers are kept apart from first-team players. Diarra portrays 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.”
Liberty and Structure
If the organisation, discipline and immense effort underpinning Sunderland’s defensive organization are a testament to the head coach’s meticulous eye for detail, Le Bris also likes his players to use their initiative. He offers his engine room players full freedom to be creative and interchange positions.
“The coach sets his tactics out within a structure but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a box-to-box No 8. “Out on the pitch that feels good. That freedom is so important. Granit, our skipper, guides us a lot. He’s a massive influence and a superb role model.”
Journey and Adaptation
Diarra is speaking through a French interpreter but his English has advanced to the point where he can understand most questions. He is now focusing 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 precocious maturity helped him deal with the frustration of needing groin surgery followed by four months out of action 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 World Cup. Given Senegal have been drawn in the same group as France, a emotional matchup awaits the former Les Bleus under-21 midfielder. “I loved playing for France but my heart spoke,” says Diarra. “I have no remorse. I was born in Senegal; it fills me with pride to play for them.”
Similar emotions apply to Sunderland. “I’ve adapted very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”
