Sir Alex Ferguson was talking at the Harvard Business School. Ferguson admitted he was on a mission after losing the Premier League title to Manchester City last season.
Sir Alex Ferguson: "I remember going to see Andrea Bocelli, the opera singer. I had never been to a classical concert in my life.
"But I am watching this and thinking about the coordination and the teamwork, one starts and one stops, just fantastic.
"We fine the players that go out of line, but we keep it indoors. You can’t ever lose control — not when you are dealing with thirty top professionals who are all millionaires.
"And if anyone steps out of my control, that’s them dead.
"Players these days have lived more sheltered lives, so they are much more fragile now than 25 years ago.
"I was very aggressive all those years ago. I am passionate and want to win all the time. But today I’m more mellow.
"And I can better handle those more fragile players now. There’s all this hype about hairdryers and anger and so on.
"You can''t always come in shouting and screaming. That doesn''t work.
"But there’s another side to it, which is more in terms of how I have fostered relations with people and developed the team over the years.
"For a player - and for any human being - there''s nothing better than hearing ''well done''. Those are the two best words ever invented in sports."
"City winning the title last season was another day in the history of Manchester United, that’s all it was. It created the drama that only United can produce.
"Who would have thought that Blackburn, being bottom of the league, would beat us 3-2 at Old Trafford? Or that Everton would draw with us when we were up 4-2 with seven minutes to go?
"I’ve still got a wee bit of anger in me, thinking of how we threw the league away last season. My motivation to the players will be that we can’t let City beat us twice in a row."