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Pele has taken the time to defend Chelsea striker Diego Costa in the wake of recent criticism and feels the Spain international's behaviour against Arsenal was nowhere near as bad as when Luis Suarez bit an opponent.
Costa made the headlines for all the wrong reasons against Arsenal as he was involved in a number of incidents, eventually resulting in a three-game ban for violent conduct as the Football Association took retrospective action.
Nevertheless, Pele has downplayed Saturday's events, stressing that similar incidents happened on a regular basis in his playing days.
"Listen, this to me was so common," Pele told AFP.
"I suffered all my life with good marking.
"Diego Costa is a very good player, everybody knows. This was one moment.
"The striker who bit someone, Luis Suarez, was worse than this."
Suarez has been punished for biting an opponent on three occasions.
He first received a ban for sinking his teeth into PSV midfielder Otman Bakkal when at Ajax, then bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic while under contract with Liverpool, before repeating the feat at the 2014 World Cup, with Italy's Giorgio Chiellini his victim.
Diego Costa: Chelsea striker banned for three matches
22 September 2015 Last updated at 23:22 GMT
Striker Diego Costa will miss Chelsea's next three domestic matches after a Football Association charge of violent conduct was upheld.
Costa denied the charge, relating to an incident involving Laurent Koscielny during Saturday's 2-0 win over Arsenal.
Costa, 26, put his hands in Koscielny's face before clashing with Gabriel, who was sent off but had a three-game ban overturned earlier on Tuesday.
In a statement, Chelsea said they were "disappointed" with the verdict.
Costa's ban covers Chelsea's League Cup match at Walsall on Wednesday along with Premier League matches against Newcastle and Southampton.
Having confirmed the match officials did not see the incident between Costa and Koscielny, the FA supplied video footage to a panel of three former elite referees.
Each had to independently rule Costa's actions to be an instant red card for the FA to proceed with the charge.
Arsenal defender Gabriel was sent off by referee Mike Dean for violent conduct after raising his leg and appearing to catch Spain international Costa.
Stoke's Ibrahim Afellay (centre) was sent off and eventually banned for two games after slapping West Brom's Craig Gardner
Stoke manager Mark Hughes, who saw winger Ibrahim Afellay's ban for slapping West Brom's Craig Gardner in August reduced from three games to two, said he is left "scratching his head" by the FA's decision to overturn Gabriel's ban.
"I'm not sure why Afellay had a two-game ban when I see news of other situations which seemed to be deemed violent conduct and they get wiped off," Hughes told BBC Radio 5 live.
"We keep asking for explanations from the FA about why they come to decisions against us - or we're getting different ones to other clubs. This is a prime example of that. We're bemused by it."
The FA has charged Gabriel with improper conduct for failing to leave the pitch immediately after being sent off, and both clubs with failing to control their players.
All three parties have until 18:00 BST on Thursday to reply to those charges.
Lawyers to handle Carneiro´s Chelsea exit, confirms FMA
23 September 2015 15:44
The Football Medical Association (FMA) has confirmed that Eva Carneiro has appointed lawyers to handle her Chelsea exit.
The team doctor had contacted the FMA in an attempt to negotiate a satisfactory outcome with Chelsea following their ongoing dispute, but she has now opted to take legal action after no agreement was reached.
Carneiro saw first-team duties taken away from her after Jose Mourinho criticised her for rushing onto the field to treat Eden Hazard, temporarily leaving Chelsea with nine men on the field during the Premier League game against Swansea City earlier this season, and she no longer sees her future at the club.
"As the representative body for medicine and science personnel in the professional game, the FMA aims to protect the rights of its members," an official statement read.
"Having recently been contacted by Eva, we have offered our full support in attempting to negotiate a satisfactory outcome.
"Unfortunately this has not resulted in our preferred outcome.
"Chelsea considers this now to be an internal matter and it is for Chelsea and Eva's appointed lawyers to discuss any further action."
Carneiro was due to return to work last Friday, but it emerged on Tuesday that she has left her position over the incident with Mourinho.
Raiola sees the positives in Ferguson flack over Pogba
23 September 2015 10:35
Paul Pogba's agent Mino Raiola has shrugged off criticism from Alex Ferguson – stating that he takes the former Manchester United manager's view of him a compliment.
In his latest book 'Leading' Ferguson pinpointed Raiola as a football agent "I simply do not like" and described his dealings with the Italian that eventually led to Pogba leaving Old Trafford as "a fiasco".
Speaking to Tuttosport, Raiola said that Ferguson's words demonstrated that he was doing a good job with Pobga, who has established himself as one of European football's foremost stars at Juventus.
"Those words don't describe my job in a negative way" he said. "I rate them as a proof that I work well.
"I have to do my best for my players' sake. If I looked only at my immediate gain, I would have kept Pogba in Manchester.
"But I put Pogba's interests first, and we decided to go to Turin. Maybe Ferguson only likes those who obey him.
"From his quotes, I understand that Ferguson still doesn't understand who Pogba is.
"Ferguson was an excellent manager, but the greatest managers may be wrong sometimes."
The Belgium international has been regularly deployed as a forward by manager Louis van Gaal but says that he is better off when he is played in a midfield role
Marouane Fellaini says that his best position is at the heart of midfield, despite being deployed as a striker by Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal.
The Belgium international has made four appearances in all competitions thus far this season and started the 3-1 Premier League victory over Liverpool earlier this month as a forward in the absence of captain Wayne Rooney.
Van Gaal claimed in August that Fellaini is best used in an advanced role, but the former Everton star disagrees with the Dutchman.
"When the manager asks me to play somewhere, I play there," Fellaini told Bleacher Report. "But my best position is midfield."
Fellaini has also moved to dispel suggestions that the United training camp is a strict environment - though he says the squad is serious about challenging for titles this term.
"We laugh a lot. That's normal - we're human," he said. "But on the pitch, we are serious.
"We have to win something because we're Manchester United. We're a massive club. We have to win."
United face Ipswich Town in the League Cup third round on Wednesday.
Chelsea striker Diego Costa sends the wrong message to the children with his dirty tactics, says Brazil legend Pele
Pele on why Chelsea striker is bad for football, reveals he would like to have played for Arsenal and fears for Brazil’s decline
Icon: Brazil legend Pele is still in touch with football’s biggest issues Photo: PA
By Jim White
10:30PM BST 24 Sep 2015
Of all the people who have expressed an opinion about Diego Costa’s combative behaviour during Saturday’s game against Arsenal, his carries the most weight. And Pele is unequivocal. As far as history’s most exalted footballer is concerned, when it comes to Costa, it is a case of not in front of the children.
“It is not a good message for children,” Pele says of the Brazilian-born forward’s provocative actions at Stamford Bridge. “He didn’t get a red card, but he was charged. It was dirty. Unfortunately so many things like this happen on the pitch and this is not good. That’s clear. It is not good for football.”
Diego Costa's perforamnce against Arsenal was 'dirty', according to Pele
Friendly, jovial, full of spark and energy, the great man is in England this week to open an exhibition of artworks dedicated to him. Called “Art, Life, Football”, it features paintings, photographs and sculptures of him in action. Beautiful, graceful, balletic: unlike Costa, the way Pele played the game lends itself perfectly to artistic interpretation. And the walls of the Halcyon Gallery on Bond Street gleam with golden images of the man in action, dazzling, dribbling, hanging horizontal in the air in the execution of the textbook overhead kick.
He is conducting a series of media interviews in front of an original portrait by Andy Warhol, which is on sale at a price only those on Premier League incomes could contemplate. Though for Pele, despite the shimmering canvases around him, the most glorious of artistic expression remains the one available on a football pitch.
Pele believes that 'the beautiful game' is finer than any masterpiece
“Of course. No doubt,” he says when asked if football is the finest of arts. “I have a little experience with art. And when you paint, if you make a mistake, you can paint over it, or you can change the paper and do it again. In football, when you make a mistake, if you do a bicycle kick, and you make a mistake, there’s no way to repeat it for a second time.” And he is certain that Costa made an error last weekend.
“I don’t think he always used to play like that. It was one mistake. Everybody can make a mistake. It is not good for football or good for him. But it was one mistake.” It was a mistake, moreover, which did not indicate that football is in moral decline. Costa stomping and snorting around the pitch was no new phenomenon, Pele reckons.
“There’s always been bad players and good players. It’s always been like that. But today we have more information and we get it quicker. Of course, what happens today, in life, used to happen years ago, but we didn’t have the information, and it’s the same in sport.”
Pele is in London to promote a new exhibition
And he should know. After all, when it comes to the darkest of footballing arts, Pele was subjected to the worst for most of his career. Back then there was not the profusion of television cameras to deliver retrospective justice; the thugs had free rein. Kicked out of the 1966 World Cup, picked on by every brutal hacker, his shins might as well have had targets tattooed on them. And he recalls there was one player so unscrupulous, his lack of concern for the laws of the game makes Costa look a candidate for canonisation.
“When I play against Italy… [Giovanni] Trapattoni…” he shakes his head at the memory of the man who, as manager of Ireland, went on to confuse an entire nation with his bizarre press conference pronouncements. “Play against Italy, against Trapattoni he didn’t care about the ball. He just kicked.” Unhappy memories of Trapattoni are one of the reasons why Pele likes to come to England. Visiting this country reminds him of an altogether more elevated opponent, who did not set out to stop him by any means necessary.
“I played against a lot of defenders, very good players,” he says. “But Bobby Moore I like most. He was very tough. But clean. He played tough but tried to take the ball. When I used to play against Germany, [Franz] Beckenbauer was not a good opponent. Two different players. Bobby Moore was a fantastic player.”
Bobby Moore (left) was hugely admired by Pele
The respect was clearly mutual, Moore was inspired by playing Pele’s Brazil. His finest performance in an England shirt was against the 1970 World Cup winning side, the greatest national team of all time, one celebrated by so many of the artworks on the gallery walls. One thing is for sure: the Englishman would be less required to raise his game against the current Brazilians. And mention of the traumatic 7-1 defeat in his home World Cup removes the trademark smile from Pele’s face.
“It was a disaster against Germany,” he says, shaking his head. “And another thing that people forget is – in addition to the seven which was a scandal – we lost by three in the next game against Holland. This was not good. It was a disaster, disaster, a shame.” And it was the inevitable result, Pele believes, of players leaving Brazil too soon.
“The difficulty now is to keep the players in their own country. The national team since Dunga came back, has 22 players but only about five who play in Brazil. There is not time for them to develop. Our team in 1970, which was the best team, we had been playing together as the same team – Jairzinho, Tostao – for two or three years. Now players play one tournament and then disappear. Then one year later come back again.”
Though surely, if he were playing now, he too would have headed to Europe at the age of 16. “I was invited to come to Europe many times, to come to Real Madrid, Milan, Manchester United but I was OK. Santos was the best team at that time,” he says. “But today is different. Because in my time we didn’t have an agent. These days it is not the player, it is the agent who decides where they go to play. A lot of players they play one or another team because the agent tells them.”
When he is asked what advice he might give to a young player as good as him, the smile returns. “As good as me? Nobody. I used to say that there is nobody as good as me, and I would be asked if there ever would be anybody as good as me. But my mother and my father closed the machine. There will be no new Pele.”
Still, if he were around now, which team would he like to play for? “Today Barcelona. They are the same style as Santos and Brazil of my day. Almost the same style.”
If he were to come to England, he is in no doubt with whom he would like to ply his trade. “Arsenal is a good team to play with. I would play for Arsenal if I had a chance.” And you would think this current Arsenal team could use a player who scored well over 1,000 goals in his career.
Pele on...
Diego Costa
“It is not a good message for children. It was dirty. So many things like this happen on the pitch and this is not good. It is not good for football”
His favourite English team
“Arsenal is a good team to play with. I would play for Arsenal if I had a chance”
Brazil’s World Cup
“In addition to the seven [goals conceded against Germany] which was a scandal – we lost by three in the next game against Holland. A disaster”
Bobby Moore
“Bobby Moore I like most. He was very tough. But clean. He played tough but tried to take the ball. He was a fantastic player”
The next Pele
“As good as me? Nobody. No-body. My mother and my father closed the machine. There will be no new Pele”
Newcastle United v Chelsea: Krul issues rallying cry as Mourinho looks to end St James´ Park woe
24 September 2015 17:11
Tim Krul wants embattled Newcastle United to show they are "real men" after the midweek League Cup loss to Sheffield Wednesday, starting with Saturday's visit of Chelsea.
Newcastle's season took another turn for the worse on Wednesday with a home defeat to Championship opposition, that result coming off the back of six winless Premier League matches.
Such poor form led manager Steve McClaren to concede that his side are reaching the point of crisis, but Krul insists now is the time to turn things around, facing a Chelsea team who themselves are performing below expectations so far in 2015-16.
"Everybody has to look at themselves in the mirror and ask if they gave everything," the Dutchman told the club's official website after the League Cup exit.
"If not, they have to start straight away, because what we are doing at the moment is really not good enough. A couple of players put in good performances but there were also some really bad ones.
"Everybody needs to grow now. We need to come out and show we are real men. Chelsea and Manchester City are two massive games and we have to show that we have got the fight for it.
"We have to try and turn it around on Saturday against Chelsea, with 50,000 Geordies being that extra man that we really need right now. Hopefully they will give us the confidence and lift we need.
"We need them behind us but we need to show them something, too, and give them something to shout about. It is a two-way street.
"Saturday is a new game and we have to show the fans fight and passion, and everybody needs to put in a proper performance."
Chelsea have been boosted by three wins in succession in all competitions but still have significant ground to make up in the league after their poor start, with leaders Manchester City eight points clear.
St James' Park has infamously been an unhappy hunting ground for Jose Mourinho in the past. The Portuguese boss has never won there in five attempts and saw his side beaten 2-1 last season.
If he is going to end that record, though, then he will likely never have a better chance to do it. Newcastle's run of poor form extends to the latter part of last season and they have only won one out of their last 17 league encounters.
Newcastle will welcome striker Aleksandar Mitrovic back from suspension, while Chelsea's Diego Costa will be missing as he serves the second game of his three-match ban.
Stoke City v AFC Bournemouth: Crouch ready to lead revival
24 September 2015 17:14
Peter Crouch is hoping to make his first Premier League start of the season when struggling Stoke City welcome AFC Bournemouth to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.
Former England striker Crouch has struggled to overcome the effects of groin surgery during the early weeks of the campaign, but scored Stoke's winner in their midweek League Cup clash with Fulham.
And the experienced forward feels fit and ready to try and help Mark Hughes' side pick up their first Premier League win of 2015-16 after a start that has seen them draw three and lose three.
Crouch told The Sentinel: "The Fulham game was my first 90 minutes for a long time and I felt great. I just hope to turn that performance into games and goals in the league.
"I thoroughly enjoyed being back involved and hopefully I've given the manager something to think about.
"I felt great right until the last kick and I managed to get on the scoresheet as well. Hopefully, now I'm full of confidence and feeling good, I can take that into the Premier League."
Stoke boss Hughes should have further attacking options at his disposal this weekend with Peter Odemwingie proving his fitness by completing 84 minutes at Craven Cottage, while midfielder Charlie Adam returns from suspension.
Bojan Krkic should also feature having made his first start since January in last week's 2-2 draw with Leicester City, but it remains to be seen whether Mame Biram Diouf will overcome hamstring and groin problems in time to make the squad.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, will head north in buoyant mood having lost just one of their last six games in all competitions.
Manager Eddie Howe, however, was keen to stress that his side won't be underestimating the winless hosts.
"I've reviewed Stoke's games and I've been impressed," he said. "They certainly don't look like a team that hasn't won yet.
"Our performance against Sunderland was good, but we'll prepare for Stoke on an individual basis. We are not at the stage where we can start to group games together. We want points from every game."
Howe made nine changes to his side for their midweek League Cup tie at Preston North End, which Bournemouth won on penalties following a 2-2 draw.
Sylvain Distin is once more set to deputise for skipper Tommy Elphick, who is struggling to overcome an ankle injury, and Steve Cook is expected to partner the Frenchman at centre-back.
Tyrone Mings and Max Gradel are both long-term absentees due to serious knee injuries, and Harry Arter (groin) is also out.
Southampton v Swansea City: Fabianski eyeing first away win
24 September 2015 18:24
Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is confident his side can take three points from Saturday's Premier League clash with Southampton at St Mary's Stadium.
The high-flying Welsh club are yet to win on their travels this season, picking up two draws and suffering one defeat.
But while acknowledging that a stern test awaits them on the south coast, the Poland international believes the visitors have what it takes to secure that first away victory.
"It will be a tough away game against a really tough team," he told the club's official website. "But we have shown already this season and in the one before, that we can compete against anyone and it doesn't matter if it's away from home.
"We are just a team who are tough to play against and I think we are well respected. Teams know it is hard to play against us, we play good football and we get results as well."
Swansea boss Garry Monk, meanwhile, has called upon his charges to produce more of the same after they responded to their 1-0 defeat at Watford by securing a home draw against Everton last time out.
Monk rested a host of regular starters for the club's midweek League Cup defeat at Hull City, but should have close to a full-strength squad available for the trip to St Mary's, where his side won 1-0 last season.
Opposite number Ronald Koeman, meanwhile, is expecting a tight, tactical battle on Saturday.
"They have very good organisation and are difficult to beat," he said. "We beat them 1-0 in Swansea last season and they beat us 1-0 here and I don't think there'll be a lot of goals in the game.
"Both teams like to play attractive football in a 4-3-3 system and it'll be close. I'm looking forward to it."
Southampton's 6-0 League Cup victory over MK Dons would have given Koeman plenty of food for thought in terms of his attacking options for the Swansea clash, with Jay Rodriguez, Sadio Mane and Shane Long netting two goals apiece.
Graziano Pelle should be available on Saturday despite missing the MK Dons trip due to a foot injury and Uruguayan midfielder Gaston Ramirez could also feature in the squad having made his first appearance in over a year at Stadium MK.
Jordy Clasie will not be involved, however, but Koeman confirmed that the Dutch midfielder has resumed full training and could come into contention for next week's trip to Chelsea.
West Ham v Norwich City: Bilic bullish over season start
24 September 2015 18:26
Slaven Bilic is taking no notice of how West Ham's fortunes changed dramatically last season following a strong start as he bids to find a consistent streak in the Premier League.
The Upton Park club play host to Norwich City on Saturday brimming with confidence after sealing a unique treble of consecutive away league wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.
A 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium last weekend means Bilic's men are third after six games, one point behind Manchester United and three adrift of leaders City.
But much has been made of the fact that West Ham's home form is in stark contrast to results on their travels, the 2-0 success over Newcastle United last time out at Upton Park ending a four-match winless run on home soil in all competitions that included three defeats on the spin.
Nevertheless, there is a feel-good factor at the London club, like there was last term when West Ham were tipped to challenge for a European place, having been fourth in mid-December under Sam Allardyce.
West Ham did qualify for the Europa League, via top spot in the Premier League Fair Play table, but in the league proper finished 12th.
Not that Bilic is reading anything into recent history.
"It's still too early to compare," said the West Ham manager, who conceded his side were "second best" in their extra-time League Cup third-round exit at Leicester City on Tuesday.
"Last season there were injuries and some unlucky games. Perhaps we lost a bit of motivation.
"We're not looking too far ahead, we're thinking about September and October. We don't want to look too far ahead or think about where we might finish in the table, it is too early for that."
Andy Carroll made his first start since February at the King Power Stadium in midweek, but Bilic – who will again be without Angelo Ogbonna (hamstring), Alex Song (ankle) and Enner Valencia (knee) – is wary of expecting too much, too soon from the striker following his knee injury.
While West Ham were dumped out of the League Cup, Norwich followed up the 1-1 draw at Liverpool last Sunday by reaching round four with a 3-0 home victory over West Brom, Kyle Lafferty netting in his first appearance of the season.
Norwich manager Alex Neil praised the professionalism of his fringe players after making eight changes for the Albion clash, hinting that he may face selection dilemmas prior to the West Ham game.
A first clean sheet of the season also pleased Neil, who must find a way of ending Norwich's 13-game winless run of away games in London.
Liverpool v Aston Villa: McAllister proud of mental strength in Anfield ranks
24 September 2015 18:48
First-team coach Gary McAllister has praised the Liverpool players for not "shying away" ahead of Saturday's Premier League meeting with Aston Vila.
The Merseysiders went into Wednesday's League Cup clash with Carlisle United at Anfield aiming for a confidence-boosting victory after a run of five games without a win - a period that included a 3-0 home defeat to West Ham and a listless 3-1 setback at arch-rivals Manchester United.
It did not materialise, though, with Brendan Rodgers' men requiring a penalty shoot-out to knock out the League Two side and secure a place in round four.
The performance has ramped up the focus on Rodgers' position with speculation inevitably linking former Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp with the job.
Former Scotland international McAllister was quick to back the players following the Carlisle game and praised their desire to knuckle down and play through what has been a tricky period.
He told reporters: "We have asked players to take a bit more responsibility, we had that against Carlisle but didn't worry their keeper enough.
"The players have got to trust themselves, they kept trying, nobody shied away.
"The past couple of seasons it might be a criticism of Liverpool that they've maybe tried to score the perfect goal, but the fact is we had a few shots at goal."
Liverpool - yet to confirm the severity of injury problems suffered by Christian Benteke (hamstring), Roberto Firmino (back) and Dejan Lovren (ankle) - have scored just four goals in their six Premier League games this season, although they are likely to provide more of an attacking threat with the return of Daniel Sturridge.
Sturridge sat out the Carlisle game after playing for just over an hour in last Sunday's 1-1 draw with Norwich City - his first appearance in five months due to a hip problem.
The England international is set to lead the Reds' attack against a Villa side buoyed by the midweek win over Birmingham City.
Rudy Gestede scored the only goal as Villa triumphed 1-0 and boss Tim Sherwood was pleased his club's supporters could now enjoy the bragging rights over their city rivals after successive Premier League defeats to Leicester City and West Brom.
He told AVTV HD: "I was delighted to send these great fans home extra happy.
"I know the fans were disappointed after Saturday [a 1-0 home loss against Albion] but so were me and the players.
"We wanted to put it right for the fans. We wanted to please them. And I thought they were fantastic. They stuck with us throughout the game.
"The win means everything to them. They have the bragging rights now.
"We got this one out of the way and got the win that we deserved.
"Now you go with a smile into training.
"You still work as hard. We won't work any less hard. It doesn't change what we do. If we win, we work hard. If we lose, we work hard. That's how we always go about it."
Watford v Crystal Palace: Watson wants Vicarage Road rocking
25 September 2015 19:03
Ben Watson wants the Watford fans to get Vicarage Road "rocking" again when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Quique Sanchez Flores' side recorded their first Premier League win of the campaign in their last home outing, defeating Swansea City 1-0 thanks to a goal from in-form striker Odion Ighalo.
Midfielder Watson believes the home supporters played a large part in helping Watford triumph on that day - and has called for more of the same this weekend.
"I thought - especially when we scored the goal against Swansea - that's the best I've seen them at home since the game when we beat Middlesbrough last year," he told the club's official website.
"The place was rocking and when they’re like that, that’s what makes you want to play.
"You just want to be involved. When the team’s doing well and winning games, the crowd are happy and they're behind you."
Watford followed up their victory over Swansea with a 2-1 win away at Newcastle United.
Ighalo netted both their goals at St James' Park, taking his tally to 20 in 24 league appearances in 2015 - more than any other player in the top four tiers of English football.
And the Nigerian's strike partnership with Troy Deeney has caught the eye of Palace manager Alan Pardew.
"I'm a big fan of Deeney. I've tried to sign him in the past. Him and Ighalo are good up front and we need to deal with that," Pardew said.
"They're very fortunate, Watford [to have such an effective strike force]. You look at them and they've handled the division very well."
Palace, meanwhile, will not be worried by the short road trip to Vicarage Road. They have picked up 15 points from their last seven league fixtures away from Selhurst Park, including a stunning 2-1 win at champions Chelsea last month.
Pardew saw his team draw a blank in a 1-0 reverse at Tottenham last weekend, but they put four past Charlton Athletic in the League Cup in midweek.
Dwight Gayle grabbed a hat-trick in that 4-1 win but has yet to start a Premier League match this season. Connor Wickham could also come into consideration for a place up front, with the former Sunderland striker set to return from a rib injury.
Watford will be without the suspended Valon Behrami and the injured Joel Ekstrand.
Van Gaal ´convinced´ Rooney´s barren run will soon be over
26 September 2015 00:22
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is unconcerned by Wayne Rooney's goal drought in the Premier League, insisting his captain has "been a little unlucky" this season.
Rooney found the net in the midweek League Cup win over Ipswich, having already hit a hat-trick for his club in Champions League action earlier in the campaign.
He also scored twice on international duty in September, with successful penalties against San Marino and Switzerland taking him past Sir Bobby Charlton to become England's all-time leading scorer.
Yet the 29-year-old has not registered a league goal since April, a barren run that could stretch beyond 1,000 minutes if he does not score at home against Sunderland on Saturday.
"I don't think that is an issue for him, for me or for the club, so he shall score also in the Premier League. That I am convinced of, and you shall see it," Van Gaal said.
"He has already scored four goals this season, but as a player and as a manager you can never know why he has not scored in the league.
"The goals that he scored against Bruges were excellent, especially the first goal, with his movement and then the chip to beat the goalkeeper.
"But he has been a little bit unlucky (in the league) and I can give you an example - against Newcastle, he scored and it was not offside but it was cancelled.
"But you cannot manage the referee. The referee is independent."
While Rooney has found goals hard to come by, in league action at least, Anthony Martial cannot stop scoring for his new employers.
The young Frenchman has netted four times in as many games since arriving from Monaco and Van Gaal believes his arrival will only benefit Rooney, as it allows him to play as a second striker.
"I have been saying many, many times that I want speed, I want creativity and that's why we bought Memphis Depay and why we bought Martial also," the Dutchman added
"But I think that Wayne can play a lot of positions. He has shown that last season.
"I want to play with a first striker and a second striker and maybe they are a very good duo together. We shall wait and see."
Manager Steve McClaren compared the recent criticism of Newcastle United to being like "World War Three".
Newcastle remain winless in the Premier League this season but McClaren's men claimed a confidence-boosting 2-2 draw at home to reigning champions Chelsea on Saturday.
The strugglers had been lambasted by pundits and fans following their embarrassing League Cup exit to Sheffield Wednesday in midweek, having lost at home to newly-promoted Watford just four days earlier.
With the doom and gloom hovering over St James' Park slightly lifted, McClaren opened up on the club's tumultuous week.
"Frustrated, happy. [For the] last 10 days frustrated, very frustrated because the performances before the international break - [like] Arsenal here - the spirit was good," McClaren said.
"We have come back and the last 10 days it has been like World War Three.
"We expect that and that is the reaction you can get."
McClaren added: "I have seen evidence we can improve. They can, they have performances like that [against Chelsea] in them.
"If we had just won it would have been an absolute high.
"Yet we have still shown something important. We have seen that already - then it goes, then it comes back. It needs to be consistent and that is what we are looking for now."
West Brom manager Tony Pulis has no doubt club-record signing Salomon Rondon will start banging in the goals, despite his lean start to life in the Premier League.
WBA smashed their transfer record by forking out £12million for Rondon last month, but the Venezuela international has only managed one goal in six appearances.
Rondon has the backing of Pulis, who expects the 26-year-old to justify his price tag.
"We're just hoping he gets a bit more luck in front of goal, but it doesn't seem to affect him. He doesn't seem that type of character," Pulis said ahead of Monday's clash against Everton.
"Nothing seems to faze him, he's just a good lad. He could have had four or five easily, I'm sure he'll score the goals.
"Salomon has been fantastic and every game we've played he could've scored a goal or two and has been very unfortunate not to.
"He's another one who's come into the club whose attitude is fantastic.
"That's something you look at as a manager and already he's got tremendous respect in the dressing room, not only for his ability but the way he conducts himself."
Sherwood: Young players need to settle into Premier League
27 September 2015 12:48
Tim Sherwood defended his young players after his Aston Villa side went down 3-2 at Liverpool.
Rudy Gestede's brace was not enough to earn a point as a Daniel Sturridge double and James Milner's opener reduced the pressure on Brendan Rodgers.
Sherwood's young squad have taken only four points from their seven Premier League games but the Villa manager said he expected an inconsistent start to the season.
"I'm not saying that now, after seven games, in hindsight it was a young group of players," he said.
"The club decided that it was the best way to go forward, that's the way we wanted to go, to acquire the young players.
"We are very privileged to have the opportunity to work with them, but it comes with its ups and downs. I know that and everyone can see that now."
Villa have lost three Premier League matches in a row but they beat rivals Birmingham City 1-0 in the League Cup on Tuesday.
"A lot of these players need to settle into the country and into the Premier League," he added.
"It does take time. I think we deserve to have more points on the board than we actually have, but we have to take that on the chin and we have to look to the next game.
"We can't get too despondent with it. We are very disappointed obviously, to come to Liverpool and score two goals and come away with nothing, but we have to look forward now."
Arsene Wenger has refuted Jose Mourinho's claim that he enjoys a privileged status with the FA.
The Chelsea boss hit out at his Arsenal counterpart in the wake of last week's ill-tempered derby clash between the two clubs at Stamford Bridge.
Wenger received no censure from the FA for branding referee Mike Dean "naive" and after the Frenchman called upon the association to look into Diego Costa's behaviour during the game, the Chelsea striker was hit with a three-match ban.
A furious Mourinho responded by claiming that Wenger "can speak about referees, push people in the technical areas, can cry in the morning and afternoon, nothing happens. Cannot achieve, keep his job, can still be the king, it is privilege."
But Wenger retorted by insisting that he had done nothing more than represent his own club's interests.
"I feel I have just done my job with the team and for our fans," he said.
"That's what you want.
"Thirty years in football now, I know what is important is to play football well."
Wenger went on to confirm that his side are very much in the title hunt following their spectacular 5-2 win at Leicester, coupled with Manchester City's surprise defeat against Tottenham.
"Of course the City result was a boost," he said. "You want the distance to the leaders to be as minimal as possible.
"It's very tight and you're in danger everywhere in this Premier League."
Both Wenger and Mourinho will switch their attentions to the Champions League this midweek as Arsenal entertain Olympiakos and Chelsea visit Porto.
Rodgers stands firm on ´frenzy´ surrounding Liverpool future
27 September 2015 23:59
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says there is no doubt of a "frenzy" from those outside Anfield to see him sacked but insists he can return the club to the upper reaches of the Premier League.
Rodgers has come under pressure in recent weeks after a mixed campaign last time out continued into this season, although a much-improved display brought about victory against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Following the 3-2 success at Anfield - their first Premier League win in five matches - Rodgers took aim at critics outside the club, who he accused of whipping up hysteria.
"I'm pretty confident there's a group of people who don't want me here to be the manager," he told reporters on Saturday.
And the Northern Irishman has stuck to those claims, adding his confidence that he can get Liverpool back to the level they were at when they narrowly missed out on the Premier League title two seasons ago with the likes of the now-departed Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling on song.
"There has been a frenzy to get me out of here. There is no question about that," Rodgers stated.
"Whether that’s a Liverpool hysteria or big-club hysteria, I am not so sure. The scrutiny here is obviously greater, for me, than any club. But it is a huge club and as a manager you know that and deal with it.
"It's not about proving people wrong. I think I have shown in the early stages of my management – without being arrogant – that with a talented group of players I can compete at the top end of the league. There are very short memories in football.
"The team was eighth when I got here and we built and produced a team to excite people throughout European football that should have won the league. It didn't but nobody even expected us to be near the top four.
"I know how to manage top players and manage the group, but when you lose that or those players are not available and you have to piece it together, that takes time. Then all the good work gets forgotten. That’s how it works.
"It seems the focus has not been on what’s gone on and what we've been missing, but more about getting me out of the club. That's sad. I am the same man who nearly won us the league, but better. If you give me the tools I'll do the work.
"I know last season and this, there have been a lot of things going against us, but we've always managed to stick together. The players are very much fighting and with players returning we can have a great season."
Sterling and De Bruyne must perform or they will be replaced, warns Mangala
28 September 2015 09:07
Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala has stressed that not even big-money signings Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne are guaranteed a starting berth due to the club's strength in depth.
The Frenchman made a sublime start to the season but the arrival of Nicolas Otamendi from Valencia has Mangala looking over his shoulder.
Nevertheless, Mangala has insisted that he is not the only player who faces stiff competition at City.
"Otamendi makes the team stronger and I know Nico really well, because I played with him at Porto. I know his skills and his level. If you are not giving your best, he is there [to take your place]," Mangala told UEFA's website.
"It is the same with every player. We bought Kevin De Bruyne, we bought Raheem Sterling, so it is the same for the forwards. They know they must perform because if they do not they will be replaced."
Mangala endured a difficult first season at City after joining from Porto in 2014, but he has made it clear that he feels confident at the Etihad Stadium now.
"My first season was a transitional year. It was very similar to the first season I spent at Porto. The only difference was the importance it assumed because I'd become a higher-profile player because of my transfer fee and the club I had joined. I'd reached another dimension," the centre-back said.
"But having that experience at Porto helped me put all the media, press and TV attention aside, and I could say to myself: 'No worries, take your time, no problem, you have a long-term contract, you will learn, you will get to know the league.'
"At the end of the season, I played in the last six games and I felt very confident and comfortable. Now I feel very comfortable and I know exactly what the Premier League is about."
Andre Schurrle has revealed that he left Stamford Bridge for Wolfsburg because Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho did not believe in him.
The Germany international, 24, netted eight goals in 30 Premier League appearances in his first season at Chelsea, but decided to move on halfway through his second year as he felt a lack of trust from his manager.
"I had a good time at Chelsea and was accepted in the team, so it's difficult to explain why I left," Schurrle told The Times.
"My performances were good as well, but there was a time in my second season when I felt I didn't have the manager's trust any more and I didn't play many matches from the start.
"I don't know why Mourinho didn't trust me. It all felt a bit weird to me. I started a few games, was on the bench for a few, then started some more.
"It was up and down the whole time. I had a lot of good talks with the manager and respect him a lot, as he told me to my face what he wanted me to do. I had some very good games, but there was often an ordinary game soon afterwards as well.
"I didn't get any consistency from the manager so found it hard to produce my best. That's probably the biggest reason I wanted to leave.
"It was difficult to leave, but when I had the chance to come back to Germany to join an awesome club like Wolfsburg I felt it was a good decision."
