Vous or Tu? It reveals much about the young Senegalese star that his delight at being elevated from Strasbourg’s Under-17s to the senior squad was accompanied by anxiety over the two French words for “you.”
Was it appropriate to address new, senior teammates by using “tu” be regarded as too familiar? In the end, the promising talent opted for caution and selected the more polite “vous”. Cue wholesale laughter from the older players who instructed him not to be so silly; he was one of them now.
“After I had 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 goal of mine and the coach outlined for me a well-defined and appealing project.”
Almost five years later, Diarra is settled in an office at the club's training ground detailing why he turned down offers from, among others, several top European clubs. His natural politeness endures but it is apparent that the 22-year-old Senegal international and doubt are virtual strangers. Diarra conducts himself with the confidence suited to a player who captained Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an AFCON championship trophy.
A Defined Vision
With the groin injury that kept him out for much of the opening months of the league campaign healed, Diarra is on a quest to show exactly why he agreed to become Sunderland’s record £30m signing last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal queried Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about the manager'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. “Playing against his teams I realised he was very good, very strong in terms of strategy. 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
Externally, the chilly February wind and driving rain makes Wearside look as grim as it is often stereotyped. Internally, things are much more welcoming. The atmosphere is devoid of the type of strain notable at certain clubs where office workers are deliberately segregated from Premier League squads. Diarra describes the environment as “very organic” and commends Le Bris’s role in its formation.
“The coach always says 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.”
Liberty and Structure
If the organisation, discipline and sheer hard yards underpinning 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 engine room players complete licence to improvise and swap roles.
“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 box-to-box No 8. “During matches that feels good. That freedom is so important. Our captain, Granit, helps 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 understand most questions. He is now focusing on acquiring the language skills 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 Dakar.
His precocious maturity helped him deal with the frustration 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 inner feeling prevailed,” says Diarra. “I have no remorse. I was born in Senegal; it makes me proud to play for them.”
Similar emotions apply to Sunderland. “I've settled very well,” he says. “I feel really comfortable here.”
