Premier League three things: Two-faced van Gaal, Leicester's surprise and Spurs being Spurs

Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea are yet to play in gameweek two, but Saturday’s Premier League matches — that saw 17 goals being scored in seven matches — offered plenty of talking points. Southampton were thumped 0-3 at home by Everton, as Ross Barkley scored one and set up another against the Saints while promoted side Norwich City got its first points on the road after a classy display helped them see off Sunderland 3-1 at the Stadium of Light. But Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, Leicester City’s second win on the trot and Tottenham Hotspur failing to beat Stoke at home were the three biggest talking points as the league begins hotting up. [caption id=“attachment_2394526” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Manchester United’s manager Louis van Gaal and assistant manager Ryan Giggs watch their team during the English Premier League match against Aston Villa on Friday. AFP[/caption] Two-face van Gaal: LvG finally played Adnan Januzaj in the Belgian’s favourite No. 10 role with Memphis Depay and Juan Mata to support him on the flanks and Wayne Rooney as lone striker. And United’s academy product responded well with a fine strike that included a subtle turn to sell his marker. It was the only goal in United’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa. Januzaj even managed to hold off a few tight challenges and kept the ball reasonably well in an intense game, but his manager was far from happy with what he saw. “He had also a lot of ball losses and in my opinion, (they were) unnecessary. Depay, a different player, has a lot of unnecessary ball losses. That is why we don’t create many chances and we have to improve,” he told the media after the match. But Depay and Januzaj are expressive creative players who will tend to lose the ball in the quest to break teams down. LvG acknowledged Januzaj’s goal as ‘wonderful’ but then said it was not enough (though it was the telling kick of the match). What van Gaal completely ignored was the way Rooney played. The skipper has had two appalling matches and looks far from sharp despite being top dog for the striker’s role. He hasn’t had a single shot on goal yet, not a telling pass, and his movement has been atrocious in over 180 minutes of football. That van Gaal fails to mention this in his brutally honest press conferences is inexcusable and reeks of favouritism. Add to his post-match comments the fact that he revealed how David de Gea refused to play against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, and it looks like the Dutchman is using the press to send messages to his players — which is not classy at all. Also telling the media contents of a private chat between a goalkeeping coach and a goalkeeper is not the way to settle an unsettled player. Riyad Mahrez class lights up Leicester: Mahrez cost Leicester a little more than Rooney’s weekly salary when he joined the Foxes in the 2013-14 season. The £350k player brought in from Le Havre has scored three goals in his first two matches as Claudio Ranieri’s side sits on top of the table. The ’tinkerman’ seems to have kept Leicester City’s urgent method of playing but the team seems more organised at the back and very expressive going forward. The nervousness from the first campaign back in the top flight (2014-15) seems to have disappeared — this is a team whose record in the last 11 Premier League games is astonishing: WWWWLWWDWWW. Mahrez got just four goals and three assists in 30 PL appearances last season, but the freedom from Ranieri for the Algerian to roam in from his left wing position is doing wonders. The energetic Jamie Vardy roves the channels, and Japanese striker Shinji Okazaki has a knack of being in the right place at the right time. If these three continue to stay fit, there’s every reason to believe Leicester won’t have to mount a great escape to stay in the Premier League this year. Spurs are being Spurs: Harry Kane to Manchester United? Not at this rate, because if Tottenham Hotspur are to challenge for a top-four spot this year, then they need the English striker, and more. After slumping 1-0 to Manchester United in the opening game, Spurs blew a two-goal lead at home against Stoke City with Kane being withdrawn before the 65-minute mark. Mauricio Pochettino is very light in the strikers’ department and Spurs have moved quickly to sign Clinton Njie from Lyon and are rumoured to be in the hunt for West Bromwich Albion’s Saido Berahino — but this team needs more than just an attacking boost. Spurs look a little lost at times — and tired — with Pochettino’s emphasis on pressing the opposition. It certainly troubles defences, but Pochettino needs the sort of personnel that can press, get a lead, and then defend it. Especially if you’ve won your last 74 PL games after a two-goal lead. “In football it’s never closed until the final whistle. It’s disappointing. The team played very well for 70 minutes and the penalty changed the game a little bit,” Pochettino said after the game. The big game of the week is Chelsea against Manchester City — which kicks off at 8.30 PM Indian Standard Time on Sunday.