Before a boot has been muddied or a ball kicked in the Premier League, the score would already appear to be Chelsea 1, Manchester United 0 - or rather Jose Mourinho 1, David Moyes 0.
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Chelsea's 'Special One' started the mindgames in his first news conference after returning to Stamford Bridge by openly admiring the qualities of England striker Wayne Rooney in a move sure to have riled new United boss Moyes.
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Mourinho and Chelsea turned the screw further by making bids for the unsettled forward although United and Moyes have continued to suggest he is not for sale.
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However, the will-he-won't-he nature of the Rooney situation has hardly projected a united front at Old Trafford.
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And Thursday's extraordinary comments by United boss Moyes, that his side's early fixtures might have been deliberately made more challenging, were the clearest sign yet that he is already feeling the pressure after taking over from Alex Ferguson in the close season.
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"I hope it's not because Manchester United won the league quite comfortably last year that the fixtures have been made much more difficult," Moyes told the BBC.
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"I find it hard to believe that's the way the balls came out of the bag, that's for sure."
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Those barbed comments about the fixture list, in which United meet Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in three of their opening five matches, appear a symptom of the pressure piling on Moyes as he seeks to retain the title secured by the now-retired Ferguson last season.
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An inability to make any meaningful signings in the close season may have frustrated the Scot and is unlikely to have helped his mindset especially since neighbours Manchester City have been splashing the cash freely at the Etihad Stadium.
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The Rooney saga, too, must surely be weighing heavily on Moyes.