Vous or Tu? It reveals much about Habib Diarra that his joy at being promoted from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was tempered by anxiety over the two distinct words for “you.”
Would addressing new, older teammates by using “tu” be considered disrespectful? Ultimately, the promising talent opted for caution and chose 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.
“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.’ The Premier League 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 the club's training ground explaining why he ignored overtures from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His natural politeness endures but it is apparent that the 22-year-old Senegal international and doubt are practically unacquainted. Diarra carries himself with the confidence suited to a player who led Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an Africa Cup of Nations winners’ medal.
A Clear Project
Now that the groin issue that kept him out for much of the opening months of the domestic season resolved, 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 questioned Diarra’s surprising decision but he knew all about the manager's standing as a talented youth coach.
“It came as no shock by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Facing his teams I understood he was very good, very strong tactically. He’s someone I know is aiding my development. And although our primary aim is reaching 40 points, a place in Europe is certainly a achievable goal this season.”
A Unified Environment
Outside, the chilly February wind and driving rain makes Wearside look as grim as it is often depicted. Internally, things are considerably warmer. The environment is devoid of the type of strain found in certain clubs where office workers are deliberately segregated from first-team players. Diarra portrays the environment as “really natural” and commends Le Bris’s role in its creation.
“Our manager repeatedly states to us that we’re like a family here and we all support each other,” he says. “Each of us takes pride of each other.”
Freedom Within a Framework
If the structure, rigor and immense effort supporting Sunderland’s defensive organization 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 engine room players complete licence to be creative and swap roles.
“The coach sets his tactics out within a structure but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who favors playing as a all-action No 8. “Out on the pitch that feels good. 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 vocabulary to also answer them, which would be his third language. He is proficient in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in his hometown near Dakar.
His precocious 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 disheartening, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to handle the situation.”
Diarra is now looking forward to 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 inner feeling prevailed,” says Diarra. “There’s no regrets. I was born in Senegal; it makes me proud to play for them.”
Comparable feelings apply to Sunderland. “I've settled very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”
