Vous or Tu? It says a lot about Habib Diarra that his delight at being promoted from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was mixed with anxiety over the two distinct words for “you.”
Would addressing new, senior teammates by using “tu” be considered disrespectful? In the end, the young midfielder opted for caution and selected the more formal “vous”. Cue wholesale laughter 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.’ England's top flight was always a dream of mine and the coach outlined for me a clear and interesting project.”
Almost five years later, Diarra is settled in an office at Sunderland’s Academy of Light explaining why he turned down offers from, among others, several top European clubs. His natural politeness remains but it is evident that the 22-year-old Senegal international and uncertainty are virtual strangers. 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 holding an AFCON winners’ medal.
A Defined Vision
Now that the groin issue that sidelined him for much of the first half of the domestic season resolved, Diarra is on a quest to demonstrate precisely why he agreed to become Sunderland’s most expensive acquisition last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal queried Diarra’s surprising decision but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s standing as a talented youth coach.
“It came as no shock by the coach’s capabilities because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Facing his teams I realised he was very good, very strong tactically. He’s someone I know is helping my game progress. And although our first objective is reaching 40 points, European qualification is certainly a realistic target this season.”
A Family Atmosphere
Outside, the cold winter gusts and heavy downpour makes Wearside look as bleak as it is often stereotyped. Inside, things are much more welcoming. The environment is free of the type of tension found in certain clubs where administrative staff are deliberately segregated from first-team players. Diarra portrays the environment as “really natural” and commends Le Bris’s role in its creation.
“The coach always says to us that we have a familial bond here and we all support each other,” he says. “Each of us takes pride of each other.”
Freedom Within a Framework
If the organisation, discipline and sheer hard yards supporting Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape are a proof of the head coach’s attention to minutiae, Le Bris also likes his players to think for themselves. He offers his engine room players complete licence to improvise and swap roles.
“Our manager establishes his tactics out within a structure but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who favors playing as a box-to-box No 8. “During matches that is empowering. That autonomy is so important. Granit, our skipper, helps 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 concentrating on acquiring the vocabulary to also answer them, which would be his third language. He is proficient in Wolof, the language he spoke growing up in Guédiawaye near the Senegalese capital.
His precocious maturity helped him deal with the disappointment of needing groin surgery 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 handle the situation.”
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 enjoyed representing for France but my inner feeling prevailed,” says Diarra. “There’s no regrets. 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.”
