'It’s a family atmosphere here': Habib Diarra revels in good times at the Black Cats.
Formal or informal? It speaks volumes about the young Senegalese star that his elation at being promoted from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the senior squad was accompanied by anxiety over the two French words for “you.”
Would addressing new, older teammates by using “tu” be considered disrespectful? In the end, the young midfielder played safe and chose the more polite “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the veterans who instructed 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 ambition of mine and the coach presented me with 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 innate courtesy remains but it is evident that the young Senegal international and uncertainty are virtual strangers. Diarra conducts himself with the self-assurance suited to a player who captained Strasbourg at the age of 20 and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an AFCON winners’ medal.
A Clear Project
With the groin injury that kept him out for much of the first half of the league campaign healed, Diarra is on a mission to show exactly why he agreed to become Sunderland’s record £30m signing last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal questioned Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s standing as a gifted 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, a place in Europe is certainly a realistic target this season.”
A Unified Environment
Externally, the cold winter gusts and heavy downpour makes the region look as grim as it is often depicted. Inside, things are much more welcoming. The environment is devoid of the type of strain found in certain clubs where administrative staff are deliberately segregated from first-team players. Diarra portrays the environment as “very organic” and praises 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. “Each of us takes pride of each other.”
Freedom Within a Framework
If the organisation, discipline and sheer hard yards underpinning Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape are a testament to the head coach’s attention to minutiae, Le Bris also likes his players to use their initiative. He offers his midfielders complete licence to be creative and interchange positions.
“The coach sets his tactics out within a framework but we have license to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a all-action No 8. “Out on the pitch that feels good. That autonomy 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 using 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 Guédiawaye near the Senegalese capital.
His precocious maturity helped him combat the frustration of needing an operation followed by four months on the sidelines last autumn. “Being injured so soon after arriving here was disheartening, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to handle the situation.”
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 enjoyed representing for France but my heart spoke,” says Diarra. “There’s no regrets. I was born in Senegal; it fills me with pride to play for them.”
Comparable feelings apply to Sunderland. “I’ve adapted very well,” he says. “I feel really comfortable here.”
