Micah Richards: How to stay headstrong
Having a stinker? Focus on putting the team first, says Aston Villa’s powerhouse full-back

“I’m a confidence player, which is great when I’m playing well, but lately I’ve been having a few mares at left-back. How can I move on?”
Ashley Still, via email
Micah Richards says:
“You’re not always going to play well and every player knows when they’re not having a good game.
It’s harder for a defender. If a striker plays badly but scores, everyone says, ‘He’s had an great game’; if you get skinned five times as a defender but make one vital challenge, everyone still says, ‘You got skinned!’
If someone says, ‘Richards had a bad game’, it hurts – I can’t sleep. But I try to stay calm and forget the last performance. I focus on giving 110 per cent in the next game. It’s the same on the pitch: if you’re not playing well, you must focus on working hard for the team.
It helps if the boss evaluates your performances – that’s what Roberto Mancini does. You can look at where you went wrong and work in training to improve. Don’t dwell on mistakes; learn from them.”
Micah is an ambassador for If U Care Share, a charity that encourages young people to discuss their problems: www.ifucareshare.co.uk
For more football tips see:
How to bounce back from a mistake
Ashley Cole: Mental toughness
Positive mental attitude
Gary Neville: Become a master of mentality
Mikel Arteta's guide to mental toughness
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.

'Obviously Messi is the best player in history and being compared to him means that you're doing things right, but I try to be myself': Barcelona star responds to comparisons with Argentine legend

'Darwin Nunez would be gold for Arsenal': Liverpool legend claims Gunners should have signed Uruguayan striker in January