Manchester United being in the title race is strange and their next game against Burnley will tell a lot about whether they have the teeth for it. However, there’s a couple of interesting patterns about this season. Fans and people who watch football at the top level as a neutral

Know what a title-winning side looks like, because they’ve seen it. Does this United side look like that? Honestly, not really, but that’s in part due to the sheer quality of the last few winners. I think if you go back to a lot of Alex Ferguson’s triumphant seasons, his teams

We’re very rarely top at Christmas. His whole idea was to keep in touching distance as you build rhythm and then let momentum carry you from February onwards. The last few seasons have seen Liverpool and Manchester City break that way of thinking, they’ve been staggeringly good

With one of those teams having a huge fiscal advantage over everyone, but they have spent their money wisely. They’ve been so consistent and good right from match one; that it’s been impossible to keep in touch with them by Christmas. By those standards this United team aren’t

One you’d consider to be good enough to win a title, but there isn’t that level of excellence this year. The 20/21 season is a throwback. Manchester United have been left so short in certain positions by their incompetent executive vice chairman & his bumbling band of sycophants

But remain realistically in the title race. Just like Manchester United were short in central midfield from 2010 onwards, they kept winning because it was that sort of league. Guardiola changed that, you had to be properly excellent to keep up, and you couldn’t have any short

Positions. To win the title in the past three years, you’ve generally had to be perfect, having the perfect squad and perfect performances. Nothing about Manchester United is perfect, but they’ve got such an advantage with such a wonderful attacking setup, perhaps the best in

The league on current form, that in this season where perfection isn’t required, they can overachieve.