Formal or informal? It speaks volumes about Habib Diarra that his joy at being elevated from Strasbourg’s Under-17s to the first team was mixed with anxiety over the two French words for “you.”
Was it appropriate to address new, senior teammates by using “tu” be seen as too familiar? Ultimately, the promising talent opted for caution and selected the more formal “vous”. This prompted widespread amusement from the older players who instructed him not to be so silly; 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 settled in an office at the club's training ground explaining why he turned down offers from, among others, several top European clubs. His innate courtesy endures but it is evident that the 22-year-old Senegal international and doubt are practically unacquainted. Diarra carries himself with the self-assurance befitting a player who captained Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an Africa Cup of Nations championship trophy.
A Clear Project
Now that the groin issue that kept him out for much of the first half of the domestic season healed, Diarra is on a mission to demonstrate precisely why he agreed to become Sunderland’s most expensive acquisition last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal questioned Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about the manager's reputation as a gifted youth coach.
“It came as no shock by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s capable of,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I understood 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 realistic target this season.”
A Unified Environment
Externally, the chilly February wind and driving rain makes the region 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 “very organic” and praises Le Bris’s role in its creation.
“Our manager repeatedly states to us that we’re like a family here and we all fight for 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 meticulous eye for detail, Le Bris also likes his players to think for themselves. He offers his midfielders complete licence to improvise and swap roles.
“Our manager establishes his tactics out within a framework but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who favors playing as a box-to-box No 8. “During matches that feels good. That autonomy is so important. Granit, our skipper, guides us a lot. He’s a really big player and a fantastic example.”
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 language. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke growing up in his hometown near the Senegalese capital.
His precocious maturity helped him combat the frustration 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 World Cup. 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.”
