Manchester United ARE in the title race, insists Van Gaal

The Dutchman has admitted it will be "very difficult" to better the results of the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City but says his team will keep fighting to make up the ground. Louis van Gaal believes Manchester United can win the Premier League title - but admits it will be "very difficult" to better the results of rivals Arsenal and Manchester City.United are seven points behind the Gunners following their 1-0 victory over Liverpool last weekend and remain outside the Champions League places in fifth position.The Red Devils have won three and drawn one in all competitions since the turn of the year to ease the pressure on Van Gaal but the Dutchman admits his team are still fighting against the tide."The difficulty is that four clubs are above us," he told reporters. "So you have to beat these four clubs in terms of the results. So it shall be very difficult but it’s not impossible, and that’s what I’ve said."It’s still very difficult but we have seen not only in the Premier League, but other leagues. So it’s possible and we have to believe in that.But I and my players know it’s going to be very difficult. You have to apply pressure on the leaders. "Last season we were at that moment when we played Chelsea away and gave a lot of pressure, but we didn’t win that game.

"I still believe if we’d won that game we would have continued our run of winning games. But you also need luck and now we have seven injuries." Van Gaal confirmed that angry words had been exchanged in the United dressing room at half-time during the victory over Liverpool - and insisted he was pleased with his players's willingness to address their problems directly.He joked: "I invited it! But I think it’s good. I think players have to take responsibility - but at the right moment. "I have seen it in my career, also, at the wrong moment. At the right moment you have to do it, so I’m very pleased. In the 1995 Champions League final between Ajax and AC Milan, Frank Rijkaard and Danny Blind got involved, for example. "It’s always good. It not only helps the manager but also the players. "It was a little bit crazy that I said that [players needed to harder on each other] in the press conference and then it happened at half-time more or less. But I have been asking already for more of that for more than a year. "That’s what I am doing always, because I believe in corrections from fellow players. I think that is more important than a correction from a manager."