Vous or Tu? It speaks volumes about the young Senegalese star that his elation at being elevated from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was accompanied by anxiety over the two distinct words for “you.”
Would addressing new, senior teammates by using “tu” be seen as disrespectful? In the end, the promising talent played safe and selected the more formal “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the veterans who told him not to be so silly; he was part of the group now.
“After I had 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 presented me with a well-defined and appealing project.”
Almost five years 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 innate courtesy remains but it is apparent 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 holding an Africa Cup of Nations winners’ medal.
A Clear Project
Now that the groin issue that sidelined him for much of the first half of the league campaign resolved, Diarra is on a quest to demonstrate precisely 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 standing as a gifted youth coach.
“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s capabilities because I already knew what he’s capable of,” 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, European qualification is certainly a realistic target this season.”
A Unified Environment
Outside, the chilly February wind and driving rain makes Wearside look as grim as it is often stereotyped. Inside, things are much more welcoming. The atmosphere is free of the type of tension found in certain clubs where administrative staff are deliberately segregated from first-team players. Diarra describes the environment as “really natural” and commends Le Bris’s role in its formation.
“The coach always says 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 organisation, discipline and sheer hard yards supporting 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 full freedom to be creative and interchange positions.
“The coach sets 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, helps 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 tongue. He is proficient in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in Guédiawaye near Dakar.
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 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.”
Similar emotions apply to Sunderland. “I’ve adapted very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”
