Van Gaal’s success a mix of madness and pure genius

THERE is a brilliant exchange in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland when the Mad Hatter asks "Have I gone mad?" and Alice answers, "I’m afraid so. You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are."

It’s one of my favourite quotes and it’s often popped into my head in competitive situations. Those lines passed through my brain again last Saturday when Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal decided to bring on his sub goalkeeper in the 120th minute of the World Cup quarter-final match against Costa Rica.

Surely he had gone a little mad? Pundits everywhere wracked their brains to understand the reasons why and struggled to find them. Van Gaal made a big call at a big moment. He doesn’t appear to be a man who likes things to be dull.