Versatile Sydney FC midfielder Paulo Retre is owning his new role in the Sky Blues midfield after a man-of-the-match performance against Adelaide United on Saturday night.
Since playing in four different positions so far throughout the season, the 26-year-old played his best game for the club since filling the role of the injured Brandon O’Neill in the middle.
“I feel like I’m improving every week. It’s never easy to go into a spot and make an impact straight away.
“Now that I’m playing there more often I’m getting more familiar with the role,” Retre said.
“I just look to do my job as best as I can and hopefully get rewarded for that.
“It is up to the coaches at the end of the day. We’ve got a good group of boys and I think everyone deserves to play.
“But hopefully I did my job well and I can stay in it,” he added.
Despite many shifts around the field, the 26-year-old isn’t poised by the tactics of changing roles but believes it does have an impact on a player mentally.
“It’s more mentally tough to get your head around it,” he said.
“It’s not always easy swapping and changing every week but I feel like it’s more mentally hard than technically for me.”
After re-signing with Sydney FC for a further two seasons, Retre doubled his overall Hyundai A-League goal scoring tally with goals being hard to come by for the former Melbourne City man.
“I don’t usually get on the scoresheet but it was good to do my bit for the team,” he said.
“It was tough conditions with the heat and the wind at the end but we dug deep and got the win.”
Sydney FC take on the Newcastle Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday 10th January (kick off 7:30pm AEDT). Catch the live on Fox Sports 505, stream on the ‘My Football Live’ app or follow @SydneyFC on Twitter for live updates.
