Hi mooneyboy,
I would say in all direct law cases, it’s probably best to fly with manual thrust in order to make the pitch changes due to the pitch/power couple more predictable.
I’ve never had the chance to practice much in direct law but your logic seems sounds with into wind aileron. The main thing is ‘fly the output’.
Caveat: I’m no instructor, just a line pilot. I’m sure someone more qualified will be along soon to put their opinion across.
champ