Louis Van Gaal Angry At Chris Smalling, Calls Manchester United Defender 'Stupid' After Premier League Red Card & Defeat Against Bitter Rivals Manchester City

Manchester United are almost back to their best. The Red Devils beat Chelsea, but today, lost to Manchester City. Although they've only taken 1 point from two games, they have had two better performances against quality opposition, proving that they are almost the United of old again. However, Louis Van Gaal was evidently upset with their 1-0 defeat, and he has labelled Chris Smalling as "stupid," almost blaming him entirely for their close, yet upsetting Premier League loss.

Smalling was sent off for two first-half yellow cards and the Red Devils went on to run them close, only losing by a close margin that many (and evidently Van Gaal) believe Smalling could of rectified, had he stayed on the pitch.

The United manager hit out at his player, saying, "In a derby you have to be careful - the second yellow card is a stupid yellow card. The sending off is not one of those things. As a player you have to control your aggression. I didn't see the first yellow but with the second, you know you already have a yellow, so have to handle it differently. I said that to the players. The red card had an influence on the game but, despite being 10 men against 11, we played better in the second half than the first because of willpower of this team."

Van Gaal does believe the "best" United are on their way back. He continued, "We are very close. You saw it against Chelsea and now against Manchester City. They are the two best clubs in this league and the difference is zero I think. When you see what we did with 10 men you can be proud as a coach."

Will the Red Devils find their way back to the elite level, or are they destined to stay in their slump?