Why Premier League Title Will Be Just out of Manchester United's Reach

Manchester United's run of six consecutive wins has, understandably, lifted spirits in the red half of Manchester. The conversation around the club's prospects has dramatically changed.

In early November, articles pointing out that David Moyes had enjoyed a superior start to Louis van Gaal were fairly commonplace—this one from the Express is a good example.

However, following United's run of excellent form, thoughts have now turned to loftier ambitions than just the European qualification that has generally been seen as the benchmark for Van Gaal.

Former United player and coach Phil Neville was asked this week, by BBC Radio Five Live, whether or not United could win the league (h/t BBC Sport) and replied: "Yes, they can. At the moment, they've got the momentum and you just never know."

Club captain Wayne Rooney, who has been in fine personal form, stressed the importance of belief among the squad, according to the Guardian: "We have to believe we can win the title. We are eight points behind and coming into a busy period."

He went on to say:

"

We have to keep winning our games and hopefully get back to the top and you never know. We have shown a great resilience. Some of the games haven’t gone the way we would like but we are winning them and that is a great quality to have. We won the league two years ago and we weren’t great in a lot of those games but we got the results.

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Rooney's faith in his team-mates and United's staff is admirable, as is his ambition. After all, the acceptance that United's natural aim is qualification for the Champions League, rather than winning the title, does not sit well with fans who have become used to seeing success measured in silverware.

However, it is clear that United are a team in transition—given the amount of turnover of playing staff in the summer—and while fans would, of course, be delighted with a title challenge, expectations should not be unreasonable.

In order to win the league from this point in the season, United would have to overturn the eight-point gap that exists between themselves and Chelsea, as well as the five-point gap to Manchester City. It's certainly not an impossible task, but it's one that looks to be a bridge too far this season.

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Self evidently, two things are needed to enable an eight-point swing. United need to amass points, while relying on Chelsea to drop them. Although talk of Chelsea going through the league unbeaten was clearly premature, they have nonetheless collected points at an impressive rate of efficiency so far this season, dropping just nine points from their first 16 games.

They have done so, for the most part, in classic Jose Mourinho fashion: winning games without expending excess energy, as Jonathan Wilson discussed for Bleacher Report here.

Wilson wrote: "Chelsea are better than anybody else in the English game at resting with the ball, at going 2-0 up and killing a game so they expend less energy. Fatigue should be less of an issue for them than any other club playing as many games."

United have made heavier weather of their wins. Their six-game winning streak might be the longest any team has managed in the Premier League this season, but only the kindest observer would say United had not required a healthy dose of good fortune to achieve it. That David de Gea has been called into action so often shows just how narrow the margin has been between victory and defeat for United.

Against Arsenal and Southampton, the 2-1 scoreline reflected the closeness of the tie, but even United's 3-0 win over Liverpool saw the Red Devils ride their luck.

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United definitely can win the league, but doing so depends on a number of factors.

United need both Chelsea and Manchester City to slip up.

United need their own defensive solidity to improve, either through new signings or an extended run without injuries for key personnel. They need to hope David de Gea can continue to pull them out of the fire if that does not come to pass.

United need Robin van Persie's resurgent form to prove sustainable. They probably need Radamel Falcao to make the kind of impact his talent should allow. They also need Angel Di Maria to return to fitness and be at his best.

Above all, United need their remarkable winning run to continue. Upcoming fixtures away at Aston Villa and at home to Newcastle United are certainly winnable, and the Red Devils need to ensure they do not slip up.

There are probably too many "ifs" to make a United title win look a likely prospect in Louis van Gaal's first season. However, it at least remains a possibility, something that did not seem to be on the horizon two months ago.

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Even if United do end up missing out on the title, the seeds are being sown for a more sustained charge in the near future. Success might not yet be measured in silverware for Van Gaal, but there is every chance that it is to come.