Manchester United are hunting a record-breaking fourth league title in a row; yet they did not start the season as favourites and find themselves below Chelsea in the table. After United’s 3-0 weekend victory, Sir Alex Ferguson revealed that he wants his side to go on a run now and top the table in the New Year. He believes that the next few weeks will be pivotal in the title race as the top clubs jostle for position before the final push begins in spring. Having already secured safe passage to the knockout stage of the Champions League, his side can turn their full attention on the Premier League and make a concerted effort to close the gap on Chelsea.

Considering Chelsea have a five-point lead on United at the top of the table, Ferguson’s aim may seem a little ambitious. But a quick look at the fixture list tells us that he is right in what he says; the coming weeks are an opportunity for United to lay a solid foundation for their title challenge. United meet Arsenal at the Emirates on the 31st January, but before that mouth-watering tie, they have a run of ten fixtures that all look very winnable. Eight games against teams that are predicted to be battling against relegation (including two games against Hull); an away game at Fulham and a home tie against Aston Villa. United’s record against Villa is a formidable one, and there is no reason to suspect that this will change in the near future; it is more than possible that from these next ten games, they could accrue in the region of 28 points, if not the whole 30.

Within this same period, Chelsea face tricky away ties against Arsenal, Manchester City and Burnley, as well as potentially hazardous home games against Everton and Sunderland. Though Chelsea are in fine form it is likely that they will drop more points than United in the next few weeks and they will be glad to have this five-point cushion. If United are close to, or even above, Chelsea by the time they meet Arsenal, they could take advantage of Chelsea’s predicted difficulties as a result of the African Nations Cup. The Blues have a straightforward set of fixtures during the tournament itself, but it will take their African players some time to recover from their exertions in Angola and they face testing games in February.

It is probably too early to say that it is now or never for United, but Chelsea’s lead means that there is very little margin for error. At the very least they must match Chelsea in the next few weeks to ensure the lead is not increased; and with the fixtures of both clubs being taken into account, United should be aiming to have drawn level with the side from West London by the end of January. This would give them the platform to take advantage of any hangover that the Blues suffer from as a result of the African Nations Cup. Ferguson will believe that a fourth consecutive title is a very real possibility for his side.