Formal or informal? It says a lot about the young Senegalese star that his elation at being promoted from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the senior squad was mixed with worry over the two distinct words for “you.”
Would addressing new, established teammates by using “tu” be seen as too familiar? In the end, 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 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.’ England's top flight was always a ambition of mine and the coach outlined for me a well-defined and appealing project.”
Almost five years later, Diarra is sitting in an office at the club's training ground explaining why he turned down offers 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 practically unacquainted. Diarra carries himself with the confidence befitting 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
With the groin injury that sidelined him for much of the first half 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. Pundits in France and Senegal queried Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about the manager's reputation as a gifted youth coach.
“It came as no shock 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 in terms of strategy. He’s someone I know is helping my game progress. And although our primary aim is reaching 40 points, a place in Europe is certainly a realistic target this season.”
A Family Atmosphere
Outside, the cold winter gusts and heavy downpour makes Wearside look as grim as it is often depicted. Inside, things are much more welcoming. The environment is devoid of the type of tension 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 creation.
“Our manager repeatedly states to us that we’re like a family here and we all support each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”
Freedom Within a Framework
If the organisation, discipline and immense effort 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 engine room players complete licence to be creative and interchange positions.
“Our manager establishes his tactics out within a framework but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who favors playing as a all-action No 8. “During matches 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.”
Journey and Adaptation
Diarra is speaking through a French interpreter but his English has progressed to the point where he can grasp most questions. He is now focusing on acquiring the vocabulary to also answer them, which would be his third language. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in his hometown near the Senegalese capital.
His precocious maturity helped him combat the frustration of needing groin surgery 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 poignant reunion awaits the former Les Bleus under-21 midfielder. “I enjoyed representing for France but my inner feeling prevailed,” 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 am really comfortable here.”
