Man Utd Can Achieve Season's Targets Without Competing with Chelsea or Man City

It might be difficult for Manchester United fans to get their head around but, for one year only, their season won't be defined by games against Chelsea and Manchester City.

It's hard to accept because it's a departure from what has been the norm for the last 20 years. They've been used to challenging at the top of the table. And that meant games against the top teams took on added significance. It's how rivalries with Blackburn, Arsenal and Chelsea were forged. 

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But United aren't challenging for the title this season. Louis van Gaal's priority is to finish in the top four and qualify for next season's Champions League. It's testament to the mess he inherited from David Moyes and the rebuilding job he's taken on at Old Trafford.

Expectations will rarely be this low. But you can't run before you can walk, and getting back into the Champions League is the primary target. 

After back-to-back games against Chelsea and Manchester City, Van Gaal, in quotes carried by the Manchester Evening News, said his team are "very close" to the two title favourites.

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Despite the result, we are very close. You saw it against Chelsea and now against Manchester City.

They are the two best clubs in this league and the difference is zero I think. When you see what we did with 10 against 11 you can be proud as a coach.

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There's plenty to back up his claim. United drew against Chelsea and were narrowly beaten by Manchester City after having had a man sent off. They could quite easily have lost both games. But, on another day, they might have taken more than just the one point.

But what got lost in what Van Gaal was saying is that United don't have to compete with Chelsea and Manchester City this season. Of course, for United, wins over Chelsea and Manchester City will always be welcome.

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It's their form against the rest of the Premier League that will determine where they finish this season. United have already dropped points against Swansea, Sunderland, Burnley, Leicester and West Bromwich Albion. It's a poor run that will need to end when Crystal Palace visit Old Trafford on Saturday. 

It will have been disappointing for United fans to watch their team fail to win games against Chelsea and Manchester City. A fourth derby defeat in a row will be particularly hard to take.

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But there will be plenty of others (most, in fact) who will struggle against the two best teams in the league this season. 

It's far more important that United beat Crystal Palace on Saturday, and then follow it up with positive results against Arsenal, Liverpool and Southampton—all Champions League challengers—after the international break.

United are used to having their seasons defined by results against the title challengers. But, just this once, games against Crystal Palace and the rest matter more.