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I played a lot of games for Villa, and one of my regrets is not winning a trophy there - that still hurts, and that's why the big games are important.
I've got massive respect for Arsene Wenger for what he's done for the English game, and it would have been good to work under him, but that didn't happen.
You only have to look at the England squad to see the amount of players who get in the squad and start the games - the majority play in the Champions League.
In 2012, we had just won the league with City, and I was really high on confidence going into the Euros when I picked up an injury, which meant I couldn't go.
I'm delighted to be joining City. It didn't take much persuasion from Mark Hughes; they are heading in the direction I want to go. There is great potential here.
Against Chelsea, you will have periods in the game when you are right up against it, when they keep the ball. They are pretty solid the way they set their team up.
At school, I was always a central midfielder from a young age. Then, when I joined Villa at 16, the pre-season didn't go too well, so they looked at me as a centre-half.
I have played a lot of games, had a good international career, and picked up a lot of caps, but it is not going to be complete without winning trophies, so that is my main goal.
I have had four great years at Everton. The fans have been brilliant with me from the day I signed until the day I left. I am proud that the club will always be a big part of my career.
Most people would snap your arm off to do what I've done, but for me to be able to say my career was successful, I need to have some trophies and some medals in my cabinet when I finish.
I'm never going to be seen as an attacking midfielder who's going to dribble past anyone, create untold chances, and score lots of goals, but going forward is something I've always enjoyed doing.
I was 32 when I signed for Everton, and Roberto Martinez said, 'With your style of game, you can play until you're 40.' I'm sitting there laughing at him, but he was deadly serious. I still laughed.
No one has said, 'What are you doing still playing?' Everyone said, 'Play as long as possible.' You stop when you stop enjoying it, and I'll know when I've had enough and can't keep up with the boys.
When you play a lot of games in a row, and you come off the pitch thinking, 'I can't do this no more,' then it is time to look at something else, whether you have six months left on your contract or four years.
I've got three brothers and two sisters. Dad was a plumber who worked really hard to support six children, and Mum was busy at home. The four brothers shared a room, a bunk bed on each side. It wasn't luxurious.
If you win games, you think things are comfortable, and they are not. The best players don't think that way, and that's why they get to where they are: they don't worry about what has gone on and think only about the next game.
The England manager didn't think I was good enough, and as a professional, you have to take it. Sure, it was disappointing, but all you can do is carry on playing well for your club and hope it changes. Unfortunately, it didn't.
If you go into a shopping centre, there are phones and cameras everywhere, and if you're doing the wrong thing, ultimately you're going to get found out. So it's important you're living your life right, and that's hard for a young player.
When you're told you're going to miss out, initially, that first hour after the manager's named the team, you're really disappointed. You can't imagine anything worse. But you can't show that. You've got to go out there and support the lads.
When somebody mentioned yoga for the first time, I just looked at it and thought, 'This isn't for me; it's for an older woman down at the health club trying to get supple.' But I thought, 'No, I can see the benefits there. I've got to embrace it.'
It was Martin O'Neill who said, 'You're a central midfielder.' He put faith into players. He was very clever at getting into players' heads, leaving little remarks to make me believe more. The players at Villa all moved up another level under him.
The pressures on younger players now are greater. You've just got to be on your toes all the time with social media and stuff. Now you just go to fill your car up, and there will be somebody wanting to film you trying to do something silly like that.
When I started my career, we were running around water parks and ridiculous things like that. You used to drive in dreading pre-season back then, but now you know it's going to be pretty tough, but it's going to be probably what you need. It's going to be good for you instead of just slogging away.