Louis Van Gaal's Manchester United Have Recaptured Fergie's Sense of Entitlement

Say what you like about the ever-changing patchwork that is Louis van Gaal’s defence. Manchester United are back.

Last Monday, they refused to accept defeat at West Bromwich and, six days on, an even later goal confounded the red-hot title favourites.

Daley Blind did it at The Hawthorns, Robin van Persie against Chelsea at Old Trafford, and if United don’t finish this season with at least a Champions League qualifying place, then I, too, am a Dutchman.

Van Gaal appears to have restored something of the air of entitlement United exuded for most of Sir Alex Ferguson’s long reign. It cannot have been too hard with such an extravagantly gifted attack—and he does need to settle that defence sooner or later—but circumstances are working in their favour.

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Before the international break, United might have been eyeing with some trepidation a fixture list that delivered Chelsea to Old Trafford one Sunday, then obliged them to make a short but daunting journey to the Etihad Stadium the next.

The league leaders were ultimately frustrated, however, and now Van Gaal’s men will face the champions with relish.

The significance of City’s defeat at West Ham remains to be judged. But they have now lost as many matches as United, and defeat in the derby would leave them only one point above the new noisy neighbours in a table that already offers much encouragement to the red hordes.

The sight of Southampton and West Ham in Champions League spots, for example. While the latest display from Sam Allardyce’s team emphasised that both deserve to be there, the length of the season is bound to test the depth of their squads.

And look at Liverpool, still struggling to find more than a semblance of the form that saw them run City close in the spring.

If we assume that Chelsea will win the title, the derby could even be billed as an early indicator of who might finish in second place. A very early indicator, admittedly. But it was only a few weeks ago when Van Gaal declared his requirement that United finish in third place—and suddenly, it seems a lot more realistic.

Van Persie’s goal was a reward for the notion of attack as a form of defence, which has long been a Van Gaal tenet. United, with their stars at the front and out wide—who else could field such an attack without the likes of Falcao and Wayne Rooney?—so successfully relieved the pressure that Chelsea contrived only four attempts on target.

Credit must also go to Chris Smalling who, though he was lucky not to concede a penalty for that set-piece wrestle with Branislav Ivanovic, made the most of an opportunity at centre-back, displaying more command than Marcos Rojo. Luke Shaw also looked good at left-back. But what Van Gaal must do is find a settled rearguard with which goalkeeper David de Gea can form a relationship.

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It must be hard for De Gea to perform behind a different pair of centre-backs in almost every match, which makes his consistent excellence all the more praiseworthy. It was no surprise to read that former United keeper Peter Schmeichel held such an opinion: He had Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister in front of him all the time, and this was the foundation of Alex Ferguson’s first great team.

Van Gaal will be hoping to arrive at something like that next season. For now, he will rely on Van Persie, Angel Di Maria and the others at the sharp end, including Adnan Januzaj, whose promise was evident once more against Chelsea.

The midfield, meanwhile, has benefited from the introduction of Marouane Fellaini. The job he did on Cesc Fabregas really helped United’s defence, which might otherwise have been more frequently overrun.

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Although Everton are starting to climb the table, Tottenham have fallen into the lower half, and competition in the upper reaches of the Premier League has lost last season’s good health, at least temporarily. This plays into United’s hands. So Van Gaal has been lucky—a lot luckier than David Moyes.

Not that the general standard of the league should detract from Chelsea’s dominance, which threatened to be excessive until Van Persie struck in the 94th minute within seconds of winning.

What a force it is that Didier Drogba exudes when he pulls on the Chelsea shirt. Even Diego Costa will do well to match his contribution to the club.

Patrick Barclay is an award-winning football journalist and best-selling author, whose portfolio includes biographies on Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson and Herbert Chapman.