I can't remember a worse personal experience on a football pitch than Saturday's 6-0 defeat to Chelsea. Even as a kid, I was never involved in a 6-0 and I hope it never happens again. It was horrible. It could even have been more than six. I don't have any excuses. I was really fired up before the match but once it started I just couldn't seem to find my normal game and I got punished. I sat down with my Dad on Sunday and watched the game again.
I was at fault for a couple of goals and it certainly wasn't one of my better performances but, to be honest, I probably have played worse than that - just not against such a good team. Not much was said in the dressing room afterwards. All the lads were just really upset. But the manager told us that the main thing we have to do is learn everything we can from it so it never happens again. What did I learn? You can't give players like Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard time on the ball. You have to keep tight on them because, if not, they'll hurt you as Lampard did by setting up three goals and Drogba did with his clinical finishing. People talk a lot about Drogba's strength and athleticism but he's got a good brain too. His movement is brilliant and obviously he knows where the goal is. He's probably the hardest opponent I've come up against. Some of you spotted that Frank and I had a bit of a disagreement during the game! It's just football though. He may be my England team-mate but when you're on opposing teams and you both want to win, these things happen. You just have to be man enough to shake things off when it's all over.
I didn't manage to speak to Frank after the game because I was so gutted about the result, but I'm sure things will be fine next time I next see him. People might think Saturday's performance was down to over-confidence from our point of view. I believe we had a right to be confident going into the game. Our form had been good and we believed we could win - or at the very least get a point. But our manager described it as a "wake-up call" and I think that's probably fair. We've been doing so well but that was a lesson that we're nowhere near the finished product and we have to keep working hard. We've now played Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea in the league and if you asked me to predict who'll win the title, I'd say United. I think Arsenal play the best football so I'd like to see them win it, but I just have a feeling it will be United. As for City, I still think top six is a realistic target for us this season.
The manager said this week that he sees me as a future captain and, at the age of 19, it's a real honour to hear him even suggest that. It would be a dream to be club captain one day but, right now, I know the most important thing for me is to concentrate on my game right and getting that right. Finally, a lot of City fans have been asking about my contract but it's fine. I've got two seasons left after this one so there's no need to hurry. We're in the final stages of discussions and, as I've said before, I'm very happy at City and I don't want to go anywhere. Micah Richards was talking to Caroline Cheese
Source: BBC Sport
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