Manchester City defender Micah Richards accepts they now have a target on their backs.

City's big spending has made them an easy target for critics and Premier League rivals and Richards acknowledges that life for the Blues is a lot harder than it once was.

"I remember back in the day when everyone used to play twice as hard against United," he said.

"Because of the quality in our team now, everyone is playing twice as hard against us. It is a little bit harder, but that comes with it and I think we have to try twice as hard as well. With the quality we have got, there is no reason why we shouldn't be winning."