From the moment Sir Alex Ferguson and his squad touched down in Durban last July on the start of a pre-season tour of South Africa, United’s ambitions were clear. “Priority No 1 is to win the title back,” Ferguson insisted, a point reinforced by his players throughout pre-season. Repeated success had perhaps softened United’s edge, but from the outset, Ferguson has used the disappointment of last season as fuel. In contrast, Roberto Mancini has bemoaned the failure of some of his Manchester City players to use last season as a platform to greater things – the inference being that too many have allowed themselves to coast.