One of many things former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho changed during his time in England was United's trusted formula of coming good in the second half of the season. In making their own flying starts, Chelsea forced Ferguson to follow suit, which is why the Red Devils are not thinking beyond Sunday.
"They caught us all on the hop during the two years they won the league because they got great starts," he said.
"We had to change our ideas about pre-season training because we always had this vision that it was more important to make sure the bandwagon was rolling in the second half of the season.
"That is why we shouldn't be looking at January really. We should be looking at Sunday."
United have not won at Chelsea - where they traditionally used to do well - since 2002 and it is easy to see why many pundits are predicting a home win.
"We have to get our act together because our record down there has not been good for the last six years," said Ferguson.
"It is a strange situation because we used to have a terrific record down there up until a few years ago. But we have let it slip.
"The players all realise it is going to be a big game and their performance is going to be important."
