I knew I could play really well in one game, score the winning goal and then, come the next game, I wouldn't play at all or I might come off the bench for the last five minutes. So I was frustrated towards the end of my time at Spurs. I wasn't happy.
We got anxious at the end of the weekend in our urgency to try to score the winning goal. Ended up playing far too many long balls forward. That style of play doesn't suit Manchester United. We must continue to play football and enjoy the game. If we do that, eventually things will come right for us.
I think when you're starting you have more of a luxury. You know you're going to play 33, 35, 37 minutes per game, so you can kind of feel the game out. When you come off the bench you have to be more in attack mode. You have to make something happen immediately.
When I come off the bench, I'm looking to add energy, and then I play defense and rebound. Also, at the end of the game, I have the experience to go out there and help us win.
For me, being a starter doesn't matter. Of course, I'd like to be in at the end of the game, to be a big part of the team, and to play as many minutes as I can play. But starting and coming off the bench are two different challenges.
Every game, I have to make the best decision. I repeat: my players must be happy to stay in Chelsea and to play for Chelsea and to play for our fans. They must be happy if they start the game or if they stay on the bench and come on.
I think when you come off the bench, you know you're going to play, but you don't know really when, what time in the game, what quarter, so it's kind of different.
I've learned that every game is different. You could play one team and have a terrible game and the next time you play them have the best game of your career.
When I come off the bench, I have that intensity and that effort. That's something all of us guys are trying to bring, but especially the guys off the bench. Because we can play a role in any game, let alone the playoffs.
Some games you going to play great. Some games you're not. So, it's all about moving on to the next game, next possession. Just come in there every day working, figuring out what you got to work on and see what you did wrong in either in the last game or the last season or whatever.
As a player, remember that the bench is not a prison, but an extension of the first group. Concentrate on the quality of your play when you do get into the game. If you play 20 minutes, play the best 20 you can possibly play.
I will do anything a team asks me to do. If it's to come off the bench, I would impact the game by coming off the bench. If I were to start, I would impact the game as a starter. I would impact the game either way.
We're just going to come out and play. We know that we're supposed to win all the games, but if we don't, we just have to take the next game and focus on what we did wrong in the game before and just try to do better at the next game.
I feel that Im not losing the game for our team. Im trying to give us the best opportunity to win the football game. I did everything I could to lose the Jets game but we won. And the Patriots game, I didnt play well. I think that this year, I just come out and play smart football. I got some good advice the other day (from CBS Sports Dan Dierdorf): Every drive that ends in a kick is a good drive.
The thing I expect from myself, when I play, is to score, in every game. If I don't, then it happens. But when you start a game, if you are a striker, you need to score.
When you play Futures and Challengers for three, four years, you're playing in obscurity. You play the game for other reasons. You don't play the game for money or attention. You play the game because you like to play. You play the game because you enjoy the journey.
The grid is like the lines on a football field. You can play a great game in the grid or a lousy game. But the goal is to play a really fine game.