I think these awards are always nice for a player but they also reflect well on the club. It shows that Arsenal's performance have been noted all around the world and it helps by having so many good players around me.

So I took it as a very positive sign that the club came to me rather than the other way round.

The regular things in my life now - training sessions and playing matches - will all fall away. That will leave a big empty space and it will need to be filled.

I don't want to lose myself in football and that's what a coach has to do to be successful.

Playing football was like being trapped in a rhythm, and my whole career was like that. You have very little time to switch off.

Behind every kick of the ball there has to be a thought.

It will be a hard game if you think about winning a championship. We need to think about our own game at the moment and focus on getting good results especially over the Christmas period.