Fergie backs United to sink City

MANCHESTER: Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United’s failure to set an unbeaten record run will refocus their minds on winning the Premier League.

United aim to bounce back from a shock 2-1 defeat at Wolves when they face Manchester City.

The loss at Wolves ended their bid to overhaul a 30-game unbeaten club record, but United boss Ferguson is looking on the bright side as there is no longer any pressure on his players to stay undefeated.

“It’s not pressure, but it’s always hanging over you but now the focus has changed from that to winning the league again,” said Ferguson. “That’s the name of the game, and I’ve said that all along.

Mancini wants improvement

Meanwhile, City boss Roberto Mancini believes his side are closing the gap on their bitter rivals, even though they have yet to match United’s winning mentality.

“Our team is a good team, we have improved a lot in six months,” said Mancini. “Maybe United has a winning mentality because they have won for a long time. When you have a team who wins trophies for 20 years, your mentality is very strong.

“I think for us it is very important to win something this season — with the Europa League, FA Cup, Premier League.”

Vieira warns of United ‘backlash’

Patrick Vieira is expecting Manchester United to be even more fired up than usual for their derby match.

“We must expect a backlash and a battle,” Vieira told The National. “Big clubs like United always talk about the importance of never losing two times in a row. They will want to bounce back to winning ways immediately.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2011.