Micah Richards: Manchester City need Manchester United's "togetherness"

Micah Richards
© PA Photos
Micah Richards believes that Manchester City need to mirror Manchester United's sense of "togetherness" within the team.

The blue and red halves of Manchester come together for a crucial showdown at the Etihad Stadium tonight and Richards has called on his teammates to accept their roles within the team.

"United have got togetherness," the Express quotes Richards as saying. "Look at someone like Ji-Sung Park. When he doesn't play, he doesn't moan, does he? Then Sir Alex Ferguson brings him in for a lot of the big games.

"What has been hard at City is that we have 20 to 25 internationals. We all want to play and when you don't, you get upset. Sometimes that's hard to deal with. That has been the hardest thing. You don't see players at United complaining to their manager when they are taken off.

"They have been doing this for years and it's Sir Alex's way or no way. If you don't like it, they'll get someone else. It's different here. It's all new to us. If we are going to be a strong team, we're all going to have to accept we can't play every week."

City can go top in the Premier League table with a victory over United this evening.
Tables
TeamPGDPTS
1Manchester United384389
2Manchester City383278
3Chelsea383675
4Arsenal383573
5Tottenham Hotspur382072
6Everton381563
7Liverpool382861
8West Bromwich Albion38-449
9Swansea City38-446
10West Ham United38-846
11Norwich City38-1744
12Fulham38-1043
13Stoke City38-1142
14Southampton38-1141
15Aston Villa38-2241
16Newcastle United38-2341
17Sunderland38-1339
RWigan Athletic38-2636
RReading38-3028
RQueens Park Rangers38-3025