'We’re like a family here': Habib Diarra celebrates good times at the Black Cats.
Formal or informal? It says a lot about Habib Diarra that his elation at being elevated from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was accompanied by anxiety over the two French words for “you.”
Was it appropriate to address new, older teammates by using “tu” be regarded as too familiar? Ultimately, the young midfielder played safe and chose the more polite “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the veterans who told him not to be so silly; he was part of the group 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 dream of mine and the coach presented me with a well-defined and appealing project.”
Roughly half a decade later, Diarra is sitting in an office at Sunderland’s Academy of Light explaining why he ignored overtures from, among others, several top European clubs. His innate courtesy endures but it is apparent that the 22-year-old Senegal international and uncertainty are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the confidence befitting a player who captained Strasbourg at the age of 20 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 opening months of the domestic season resolved, Diarra is on a mission to show exactly 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.
“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s capabilities because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I realised he was very good, very strong in terms of strategy. 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 achievable goal this season.”
A Unified Environment
Externally, the chilly February wind and driving rain makes Wearside look as grim 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 office workers are kept apart from first-team players. Diarra portrays 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 immense effort underpinning Sunderland’s defensive organization are a proof of the head coach’s meticulous eye for detail, Le Bris also likes his players to use their initiative. He offers his midfielders full freedom to improvise and swap roles.
“Our manager establishes his tactics out within a structure but we have license 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. Our captain, Granit, helps us a lot. He’s a massive influence and a superb role model.”
Path and Settlement
Diarra is speaking through a French interpreter but his English has progressed 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 tongue. He is proficient in Wolof, the language he spoke growing up in his hometown near Dakar.
His early maturity helped him deal with the frustration of needing an operation followed by four months out of action 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 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 settled very well,” he says. “I feel really comfortable here.”
