Roberto Mancini appeared to get the better of Sir Alex Ferguson last season by insisting Manchester United would be crowned champions right up until the last moments of the season. Unusually, the pressure seemed to get to the Red Devils and they wilted with the title within their grasp to somehow blow an eight-point lead and hand the title to their rivals.

The 71-year-old Scot is sure to be reminding his players of their huge slip-up every single day, with the likes of Phil Jones saying the pain of the final day of last season is driving the squad on this year.

It remains to be seen whether the Italian boss has any more tricks up his sleeve to throw United off-guard, but press conferences at the Etihad Stadium and Old Trafford could begin to get a little more interesting as we enter the final stages of this league campaign.