To be a contender in the Big Ten a squad must have a solid player at every position.
If you look round the world, most teams want guys who can bowl up at 90 mph because they can make things happen when it isn't doing much.
I couldn't sign for Barca, as I can't play football the way Xavi wants.
It was only when I got to Tottenham as a youth player that they said, 'You need to be good in the air.' It was made clear I was going be a target man, so I had to start working on my technique.
I'd no longer be the same player without my rigorousness, and certainly not the player Arsenal wanted.
If you can't field you can't play for Pakistan. It's as simple as that.
You need guys who can run and throw.
Teams want fast players. That's not me. But I know my strengths.
I had a meeting with Umar Akmal and discussed exactly where I thought he was. We are looking at the skillset that he brings to the Pakistan team. Obviously, he is a very intelligent player but he knows that he has to conform. He knows that he has got to pass the fitness standards that are required of him.
I know what a championship locker room looks like, what a championship team requires.
I've always been confident in my rugby ability but with England I had to adjust my behaviour.
Big teams want goalkeepers who are not only good on the line but good with their feet as well.
When you look at the best Nos. 6 and 7 in the world, they all average above 45, so gone are the days when you could get away with someone at 6 or 7 who's below 40. You need to have those runs on the board.
