Luis Enrique surprised everyone with a series of tactical tweaks in Paris Saint-Germain's clash against Nice last month. He pushed left‑back Nuno Mendes up to the left wing, slipped centre‑back Lucas Beraldo into midfield, and moved left winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia into a striking role. Those adjustments helped PSG dominate the game, securing a 4‑0 victory while Nice struggled to cope with the fluid, ever‑shifting shape of their opponents. "We allowed them too much freedom," Nice manager Claude Puel admitted after the match.
When reporters asked whether he would continue to employ such "unexpected solutions" in the upcoming encounter with Toulouse, Enrique offered a glimpse into his broader tactical philosophy and the direction he believes elite football is taking. "Absolutely," he replied. "It's my dream to have a squad of twenty players who can fill any outfield position. Nuno Mendes as a full‑back, as a winger, as a No 9, even as a midfielder – everyone except the goalkeeper.
Imagine the opposition coach seeing that line‑up and thinking, 'He plays everywhere!'. It's a lofty ambition, and I know it will be hard to achieve, but I will keep trying." When PSG later dismantled Liverpool over two legs in the Champions League quarter‑finals, the line‑up reverted to a more conventional shape with Mendes and Kvaratskhelia back in their natural positions. Yet the underlying principle of positional interchange remained evident. Ousmane Dembélé, nominally the centre‑forward for the second leg, drifted across the front line, creating space for himself and dragging Liverpool defenders out of shape.
The graphic of the starting XI showed Kvaratskhelia on one side and Desire Doué on the other, but all three attackers were capable of operating anywhere across the front three. Their touch‑maps for the season underline the unpredictability that makes PSG so difficult to defend against. The same fluidity is on display in the side they now face in the Champions League semi‑finals – Bayern Munich, coached by Vincent Kompany. Bayern, like Enrique’s PSG, have embraced a modern version of Total Football, where players rotate and occupy multiple roles instead of sticking to a rigid position.
"Harry Kane doesn’t just wait in the box," Bayern sporting director Max Eberl explained in February. "Michael Olise and Luis Diaz don’t simply hug the touchline; Joshua Kimmich alternates between right‑back and defensive midfield. Football today is about creativity – how do we want to play, what does the opponent offer, and where are the gaps we can exploit? The classic 4‑2‑3‑1 or 4‑4‑2 is no longer the default.
When you look at the tactical line‑ups on TV at kick‑off, they can look completely different because the defensive midfielder may drift wide, centre‑backs may make central runs, and full‑backs can surge into midfield. True specialists who can only perform one function will become rarer as the game grows more dynamic and variable." Bayern’s most versatile asset is Konrad Laimer. Signed from RB Leipzig as a midfielder, Laimer has since thrived as both a right‑back and a left‑back, adapting his game to the needs of the team on a week‑by‑week basis. Eberl praised his adaptability: "Konny started as a No 10 at Red Bull Salzburg, became a No 8 at Leipzig, and now he fills the full‑back role in the way Vinny envisions it." Laimer may not be a household name, but his importance to Bayern mirrors the value placed on multifunctional players across Europe.
At Liverpool, Dominik Szoboszlai can slot into central midfield, right‑back, or even a more advanced role. Manchester City, after the departure of Bernardo Silva, have added Nico O'Reilly, a midfielder who can also cover at full‑back. Arsenal boast Declan Rice, comfortable as a defensive midfielder, a box‑to‑box No 8, or even a centre‑back in emergencies, while teammate Kai Havertz has been deployed as an attacking midfielder, forward, and occasionally as a left‑back under Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde epitomises the modern utility player. He can operate anywhere across the midfield line or patrol the right flank, adjusting his positioning seamlessly to suit the tactical demands of each match. His teammate Trent Alexander‑Arnold once called him "the most underrated player on the planet" after Valverde’s hat‑trick against Manchester City. Manager Álvaro Arbeloa summed it up: "There’s no flaw in him – wherever you place him, he delivers." Luis Enrique himself is a fitting advocate for versatility.
As a player, he featured in every outfield position except centre‑back during spells with Sporting Gijón, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and the Spanish national team. Javier Zanetti, another legend, spent his career primarily as a right‑back but also excelled at left‑back, as a holding midfielder and even as a centre‑defender, covering all four roles in Inter’s 2009/10 Champions League triumph under José Mourinho.
"Versatility is crucial because it lets you play wherever the team needs you most," Zanetti, now Inter’s vice‑president, told Sky Sports. "It builds trust with teammates and the manager, who knows you can be relied upon in different spots.
Players today should cultivate that flexibility." The push for multifunctional athletes is not only a stylistic choice; it also has practical and financial motivations. With an ever‑crowded calendar and a spike in injuries, clubs value players who can fill multiple gaps without needing separate signings.
Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez noted in 2024, "If one player can cover three positions, you don’t have to recruit three specialists – it saves money." Adapting to new roles is easier for some than others, but Zanetti insists versatility is not purely innate. "I worked hard on it. Whenever I was asked to play a new position, I focused, absorbed the coach’s instructions, and applied myself. Tactical intelligence is vital, but I built it over my career.
My physical attributes allowed managers to trust me in varied roles." Not everyone believes the fluid, interchangeable style exemplified by PSG and Bayern signals the future of football. Some commentators argue that a resurgence of direct play and set‑piece reliance suggests a regression rather than progress.
Nonetheless, many clubs are investing in developing home‑grown talent capable of occupying several positions. Dan Micciche, a youth development specialist who has worked with Everton, Arsenal, Tottenham and England and now oversees the academy at Al‑Ahli in Saudi Arabia, explained his approach: "Exposing players to different positions yields outcomes we value. It also aligns with individual development plans.
For instance, at Spurs we once placed a midfielder at centre‑back against tall strikers to improve his aerial ability because we knew the opponent would be direct." Micciche believes versatility can be taught through deliberate session design that forces players into varied roles, and by adopting a Total‑Football‑inspired playing style that emphasises shape over fixed positions. He likens it to a volleyball system where players rotate constantly, gaining experience across the pitch, especially during substitutions.
The benefits are substantial for both athletes and clubs, though the method requires a long‑term perspective. "Most coaches shy away because it may affect immediate results, and they want to win now," Micciche admits. Yet the payoff includes greater squad depth, reduced transfer spending, and prolonged careers for adaptable players.
Examples of longevity through adaptability abound. Harry Kane, as he ages, drops deeper to help create play before arriving late in the box, while Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41, transitioned from a wide attacker to a pure striker, still scoring regularly. Zanetti himself extended his career into his forties by shifting from a pace‑driven wing‑back to a more central midfield role as his speed waned. Enrique’s dream of "twenty players who can play everywhere" may still be aspirational, but PSG and Bayern demonstrate how such flexibility can be a decisive competitive edge.
As the sport continues to evolve, the capacity to occupy multiple positions could become the hallmark of the next generation of footballing superstars.