Vous or Tu? It speaks volumes about Habib Diarra that his joy at being promoted from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was mixed with anxiety over the two French words for “you.”
Would addressing new, senior teammates by using “tu” be regarded as disrespectful? In the end, the young midfielder opted for caution and selected the more formal “vous”. Cue widespread amusement from the older players who told him not to be so silly; he was one of them now.
“Once I received 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.’ England's top flight was always a dream of mine and the coach outlined for me a well-defined and appealing project.”
Roughly half a decade later, Diarra is settled in an office at Sunderland’s Academy of Light explaining why he ignored overtures from, among others, several top European clubs. His natural politeness endures but it is clear that the 22-year-old Senegal international and uncertainty are virtual strangers. Diarra carries himself with the confidence befitting a player who captained Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco clutching an AFCON winners’ medal.
A Clear Project
With the groin injury that sidelined him for much of the opening months of the league campaign healed, Diarra is on a quest 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 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. “Playing against his teams I understood 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, a place in Europe is certainly a realistic target this season.”
A Unified Environment
Externally, 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 tension notable at certain clubs where administrative staff are kept apart from first-team players. Diarra describes the environment as “really natural” and praises Le Bris’s role in its formation.
“Our manager repeatedly states to us that we have a familial bond here and we all support each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”
Liberty and Structure
If the structure, rigor and sheer hard yards underpinning Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape are a proof of the head coach’s meticulous eye for detail, Le Bris also likes his players to think for themselves. He offers his midfielders complete licence to be creative and interchange positions.
“Our manager establishes his tactics out within a structure but we have license to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a box-to-box No 8. “Out on the pitch that is empowering. That autonomy is so important. Granit, our skipper, guides us a lot. He’s a massive influence and a superb role model.”
Path and Settlement
Diarra is using a French interpreter but his English has advanced to the point where he can grasp most questions. He is now focusing on acquiring the language skills to also answer them, which would be his third tongue. He is proficient in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in Guédiawaye near the Senegalese capital.
His precocious maturity helped him combat the disappointment of needing an operation followed by four months out of action last autumn. “Being injured 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 emotional matchup 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 makes me proud to play for them.”
Similar emotions apply to Sunderland. “I’ve adapted very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”
