Premier League Weekend Review: Prickly van Gaal has the mark of a winner

Prickly . . . Louis van Gaal makes his point to the media

Most observers said Manchester United's 1-1 draw at 10-man Aston Villa confirmed they couldn't win the title. Ralph Ellis, who until now has gone against the chances of the trophy returning to Old Trafford, saw a side of Louis van Gaal to make him change his mind...

So I've seen the prickly side of Louis van Gaal. The Dutchman came to Manchester United with a reputation of being, shall we say, combative with the media, and it turns out that's well deserved.

He'd been sat in his press conference at Aston Villa, grumbling at how his team had failed to put away 10 men. It was, he admitted, the sort of game that at the end of the season you might look back on and identify two points lost that had cost you a title.

He went on, talking about how before he'd turned his focus totally onto his own job he'd watched Manchester City play poorly in the first half against Crystal Palace. "Then they won three to zero, was that the right score?" he asked. Told it was indeed the result, he talked about how regardless of not looking great, City had found a way to win. "That's the difference," he said, still thinking about how United had been unable to produce a similar second half.

So I asked him, if that was the case, what he had to do to give United the same mentality. He fixed me with a steely stare. "So we have won seven matches in a row, I think that's the wrong question," he said, and then got up and started to walk out. (It was actually six, but that's neither here nor there).

On the way past me he decided to carry on the argument. "Also we were behind one goal to zero today," he said. "But you raised the comparison to Manchester City," I answered - again getting his look of total contempt before he swept out of the room and on his way.

Do you know what, I rather liked his approach. In fact it's made me change my mind about United's chances this season. It struck me that he'd said one thing about how United could no longer think of winning the Premier League, but meant another. And he wants his players to bring the same sort of spiky reaction to a setback.

United are now 17.5n/a to win the title and at that price it's a punt, but one I fancy backing after seeing at close quarters the fire that burns in their boss.

Okay, they are a long way from looking like a fluid team. Van Gaal is still trying to work out how to fit a dazzling array of attacking talent into the same team, and is still short of quality defenders.

And I know you'll remind me that I laid United for the top four before a ball was kicked, but that was always a lay-to-back recommendation. Van Gaal has made things worse before they got better at every club he's managed.

So now let's assume he'll do something to sort things out at the back in the January window (signing Ron Vlaar remains a strong possibility). Then think that so many top attacking players will inevitably find a way to score goals. On that basis things must keep improving and with half a season left seven points is not a big gap to close on either Chelsea or Manchester City.

LVG's prickly side is the mark of a winner. And the weekend when things have gone a bit wrong for him is the time to go against the market and back him.

I might, or then again might not, have asked the wrong question. But I rather think I got the right answer.