David Sadler column: Manchester United can shrug off Mancini mind games

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney

The backbone of Manchester Uniteds management team and squad are too long in the tooth to fall for Roberto Mancinis attempts to rattle the Reds psychologically.

It was a decent effort by the Italian to suggest that City couldnt win the Premier League title.

The Blues boss said Uniteds spirit was too good to squander a five point lead.

He could well have said that last weekend when it was an eight-point gap and look what happened so I dont blame Mancini for chancing a dip into the mind games.

But I dont think anybody at Old Trafford will be fooled by that.

The evidence is there that United have fallen for it once and that wasnt really his doing it was the history books that tripped the Reds up at Wigan.

But having stumbled mentally once, I dont suspect United will do it again with the prize so close.

I hate it when you play a side youve had the Indian sign over and all the stats are trotted out.

No matter how much you try and ignore them you know the drill, you know whats gone on previously and you also know that Uniteds 100 per cent winning streak against Wigan cannot go on forever.

Those kind of figures are there to be ripped up and thrown in your face.

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And they certainly were at the DW Stadium.

There is no doubt in my own mind that probably despite the best efforts of Uniteds backroom staff, the Reds went out complacent at Wigan.

A! n eight- point lead and playing a side whod never taken a point off them, it was human nature that it plays a part.

United just never got started and once that sets in then it is extremely difficult to raise yourselves again.

We could have no complaints about the result. In fact I thought we could have lost by two or three and that could have been even more damaging mentally.

Mancini might be publicly claiming City have no chance to win the league trophy this season but privately I bet hell be telling his players that the rot has set in at United, that its getting to them and theyre vulnerable again.

If I was him thats what Id be doing.

But it is up to the Reds now to show that spirit the Blues manager claims is the winning ace up the champions sleeve.

Wigan was a timely wake up.

Now they have to show they can respond and it is not only the players that will have to show their mettle it is the Old Trafford fans as well.

With two back-to-back home matches against Aston Villa this Sunday and Everton a week on Saturday the platform is there.

But both the team and the support will have to show considerable patience.

We have all seen it so often in the past when an opponent comes and parks the bus in front of goal.

You can count on one hand the number whove taken on the Reds in Manchester. I dont expect to be adding Villa to that number on Sunday.

It is curious at Old Trafford sometimes the fans are edgy and those nerves transfer to the pitch, sometimes the frustration leaks onto the field as well. Yet sometimes they can also be up and alive from the kick off and that inspires the players.

It has to be the latter on Sunday if we are to bounce back from Wigan.

KEY MAN

I accept that Paul Scholes was missed at Wigan and has been influential since he returned but I think the weight of ! responsi bility in the run-in falls on the shoulders of Wayne Rooney.
United are not a one man team but, certainly, when the striker plays well the Reds play well.

He made no impact whatsoever at Wigan so we have to see a response from him. If that was just a blip then he can fire United to the title.

What do you think? Have your say.

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