Man Utd's Tévez on Fergie, physical soccer, Rooney

Carlos Tévez moved to Manchester United over the summer after a long, protracted transfer saga with West Ham. Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

World Soccer's Dan Brennan recently sat down with Manchester United's Argentine forward Carlos Tévez, who is finally starting to feel comfortable during his first season at Old Trafford.

World Soccer: You scored your first goal for Manchester United against Chelsea, one of the biggest games of the season. How did it feel for you?

Tévez: It was great. I always like to appear in the big games, and for a player like me, it's always important to score. Sometimes you don't get the chance to do that, and you feel frustrated because you know that you've done everything you could have done. That has already happened to me a few times at Manchester United, but I trust in myself and in my teammates. I was very happy for myself, of course, but also for various people who had been made to suffer a bit [because of United's poor start to the season].

The most important thing about getting my first goal was it meant that those people who had placed a lot of faith in me by bringing me here in the first place were able to relax a bit. I was always calm myself, but some other people were under pressure for me to perform.

World Soccer: Will José Mourinho's departure mean Chelsea is going to be less of a threat this season?

Tévez: I don't think that anything will change just because their coach has left. Clubs of that stature don't just rely on one person for success, they have an entire structure in place. They will remain as important a force as they have been until now.

World Soccer: How do you see the Premier League race unfolding? Can United can retain the title?

Tévez: Manchester United is like Boca Juniors and River Plate in Argentina: It is obliged to fight for the title, and if it doesn't win it, it is considered a bad season. I think United is the main candidate to win the league, followed by Arsenal and Chelsea. These three teams are the most powerful in England.

World Soccer: How are you finding the physical side of the English game? Do your opponents try to intimidate you physically?

Tévez: I started to notice that already when I was at West Ham. My time there helped me to understand better how the game is played in England. I was also able to benefit from a proper preseason this summer, so I am now used to everything. Nobody is going to make me scared. If I didn't get scared when I played soccer as a kid in Fort Apache, where there was broken glass on the ground and where I played against guys who were all bigger than me, I am not going to get scared in this league, which has the best pitches and the best referees.

World Soccer: Are you now completely into the rhythm and style of the game here? Have you had to modify your natural way of playing?

Tévez: Yes, I feel I have now fully adapted to English soccer. I didn't have to modify anything really. All I needed to do was to learn to use my body strength a bit more against an opposition player.

1 of 3