Most people try to isolate themselves and pretend like things are all good when a lot of times, that's not how it is.

New Orleans is a great place, a place of celebration. But on the other hand, there's a reality to it, there's violence, there's misguided youth.

I try to speak from a place of understanding and most times I'm speaking from a place of experience.

It's about gaining that confidence back in myself. Believing in myself more than others may believe.

There's a massive difference between playing Under-21 football and being on the bench at Chelsea, and playing every week in a league where you are playing for people's livelihoods and helping to pay their mortgages.

I like to think of the world's greatest athlete coming up to bat against me - Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, I don't care who it is - and I'm looking at him thinking, you have no chance.

Your ups and downs in sports, I think they are as normal as daily life: One day you wake up and feel great, the next day you wake up and feel maybe less great.

In the summer, you miss the match days, but my wife gets angry, as she doesn't see me on weekends. And football is work. I'm still working on the weekends.