I was once in charge of the Dutch team - and then I was introduced to club football!
I needed a little time to settle, to know the Premier League, the people here, how they are, and to know the players. I had to find my confidence.
At the start, it was a bit difficult to come to Chelsea, a new club in a new league with very good players. It was very difficult to get into the team, but I did a lot of things to try and settle quick into the club, the team, the area.
I knew Chelsea had made some offers while I was at Shakhtar so when I eventually arrived here, after a short spell with Anzhi Makhachkala, it was amazing. Having David Luiz, Oscar and Ramires here when I joined was very important for me because they helped me a lot with the language and inside the club, so it was very helpful.
Moving to Fleetwood was a shock to the system at first. I'd never been at a full-time club.
When you start looking at guys like Brett Favre, for instance, and other great quarterbacks that have played - Peyton Manning - you say, 'Gosh, how will these guys be replaced?'
I was a soccer player, but everyone said I was too physical so I moved over to football.
It takes time to adapt to become an Arsenal player.
Changing from Sevilla to Barca is huge in every sense, and it's not easy, but having a private life so full of love helps. I get strength from my two girls. And my philosophy is enjoy it.
In college, I was a running QB. We were a sprint out offense, so I had a big transition going into pro ball.
I do play in a spread offense and in order to translate into the NFL, I'll have to take snaps under center.
Actually, it's normal when you come to a new club and country: you need to get used to the language, the philosophy of the team, the squad, the coach.
For a 20 year old the gap from Holland to England is massive. That's a fact. Not all players are able to settle in directly from day one. I remember even Van Persie needed two, three years but he became Van Persie.
