Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has accepted that it will be difficult to follow Manchester United out of the title race this season.
A brilliant second half of the campaign has seen United close to within 10 points of Chelsea at the top of the table. Recent back-to-back defeats for Liverpool has meant that United are now closer towards securing a top four spot, which will leave them to concentrate on other matters like winning the title. After having won the title in numerous league, Louis Van Gaal always had the potential to turn this United team around according to Mourinho.
Jose Mourinho, though, will remain confident about his team’s own chances of lifting the first league title since 2010. The blues hold a six-point advantage over Manchester City, but it can be increased to nine points before Manuel Pellegrini’s men take to the field against Crystal Palace on Monday night. Chelsea are up against Stoke City at home whereas United will be having a potential banana skin in the form of a home match against Aston Villa, who have appeared resurgent under new manager Tim Sherwood. United have won the last four league matches and have displayed a strong surge in confidence during this period.
“It’s four teams now in the title race. You see the points difference and you have to say four. The points difference between second, third and fourth makes me think they’re there.Manchester United are there. The points are there. In the last matches they became consistent in results and also the quality of their performances. They are there,” said Mourinho regarding competition from United. Despite the claims, Van Gaal remains first and foremost focused on Champions League for next season before thinking about the title, but he has so far not yet ruled out a title challenge.