Luis Enrique surprised everyone with a series of tactical tweaks in Paris Saint-Germain's recent clash against Nice. He pushed left‑back Nuno Mendes up to the left wing, slotted centre‑back Lucas Beraldo into midfield, and placed left winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as the striker. Those adjustments helped PSG secure a comfortable 4‑0 victory, with Mendes delivering a standout performance in his new position while Nice struggled to cope with the fluidity of their opponents.
"We let them play too freely," admitted Nice boss Claude Puel. When asked whether he would experiment with more "unexpected solutions" in the upcoming match against Toulouse, Enrique offered a glimpse into his broader tactical philosophy and the way elite football is evolving. "Absolutely," he replied. "It’s my dream to have a squad of twenty players who can operate everywhere.
Nuno Mendes as a full‑back, as a winger, as a No 9, as a midfielder – everyone except the goalkeeper. Imagine the opposition manager looking at the line‑up and thinking, ‘He can play anywhere!’ It’s a lofty goal, but I’ll keep trying." In the Champions League quarter‑finals, PSG returned to a more conventional shape as Mendes and Kvaratskhelia slipped back into their natural roles. Yet the team’s performances were still defined by the same positional interchangeability. Defenders drifted into midfield, midfielders swapped flanks, and the front three rotated constantly.
Ousmane Dembélé, nominally the No 9 in the second leg, appeared all over the pitch, creating space for himself and pulling Liverpool’s defenders out of position. The graphic of the line‑up showed Kvaratskhelia to the left and Desire Doué to the right, but all three could operate across the entire attacking line.
Their touch‑maps this season illustrate the unpredictability that makes PSG difficult to mark. A similar brand of fluid football is on display from PSG’s semi‑final opponents, Bayern Munich under Vincent Kompany. Bayern, like Enrique’s side, draw inspiration from Total Football, with players rotating into different zones rather than sticking to rigid roles. The first leg was a tactical showcase and the second promises to be just as dynamic.
"Harry Kane doesn’t just sit in the box and wait," Bayern sporting director Max Eberl explained in February. "Michael Olise and Luis Diaz don’t simply hug the touchline. Joshua Kimmich flips between right‑back and defensive midfield. Football today is about creativity, reacting to the opponent, and exploiting the spaces that appear.
The classic 4‑2‑3‑1 or 4‑4‑2 is becoming obsolete." Eberl added that on‑screen formations often look very different from what actually unfolds on the pitch because defensive midfielders and the No 10 drift wide, while centre‑backs and full‑backs make central runs. "True specialists who can only do one thing will become rarer as the game grows more dynamic and variable," he concluded. Konrad Laimer embodies Bayern’s versatility.
Signed from RB Leipzig as a midfielder, he has since thrived as both a right‑back and a left‑back. His ability to switch positions within a match has made him indispensable for the German giants. "Konny is perfect for that," Eberl noted.
"He started as a No 10 at Red Bull Salzburg, became a No 8 at Leipzig, and now plays as a full‑back in the way Vinny envisions a full‑back." Laimer’s modest profile belies his importance, and similar adaptability can be found among the world’s most valuable players. Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai can slot into midfield, right‑back, or even the attacking line. Manchester City, after losing Bernardo Silva, have added Nico O'Reilly, a midfielder who can also cover at full‑back. Arsenal’s Declan Rice is comfortable as a defensive midfielder, a box‑to‑box midfielder, and can fill in at centre‑back, while Kai Havertz has been deployed as a left‑back by Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann.
Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde perhaps offers the clearest illustration of modern versatility. He can operate anywhere across the midfield or patrol the right flank, adjusting his role seamlessly to suit the team’s needs. His teammate Trent Alexander‑Arnold hailed him as "the most underrated player on the planet" after Valverde’s hat‑trick against Manchester City, and manager Álvaro Arbeloa remarked, "There is no flaw in him – it doesn’t matter where you put him." Enrique himself is a natural advocate for this philosophy, having played in every outfield position except centre‑back during his spells with Sporting Gijón, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and the Spanish national team. Javier Zanetti provides another iconic example.
The Inter and Argentina legend started as a right‑back but also excelled at left‑back, as a holding midfielder and as a centre‑back, covering all four roles in Inter’s 2009‑10 Champions League triumph under José Mourinho. "Versatility is vital because it lets you fill the spot your team needs most," Zanetti, now Inter’s vice‑president, told Sky Sports. "It builds trust with teammates and the manager, showing they believe you can cover different positions.
Players today should embrace that flexibility." The push for multi‑position players is driven by both style and practicality. As calendars become congested and injuries more common, clubs value players who can cover several roles, saving money and squad depth. Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez summed it up in 2024: "If one player can cover three positions, you don’t need three separate signings – those players save you money." Adapting to new roles is easier for some than others, but Zanetti insists versatility is not purely innate.
"I worked hard," he said. "Whenever I was asked to play somewhere new, I focused, absorbed the coach’s instructions, and applied them. Tactical intelligence is essential, but I developed it over my career. My attributes allowed managers to trust me in different jobs." Not everyone agrees that the fluidity seen at PSG or Bayern signals the future of football.
Some observers claim the modern game is reverting to direct play and set‑piece reliance. Nevertheless, many clubs are investing in developing home‑grown talent capable of occupying multiple positions.
Youth‑development specialist Dan Micciche, who has worked with Everton, Arsenal, Tottenham and England and now runs the academy at Al‑Ahli in Saudi Arabia, explains how training is tailored to nurture versatility. "Exposing players to different positions yields specific outcomes," he told Sky Sports. "We once placed a midfielder at centre‑back to improve his aerial ability against a direct opponent." Micciche believes versatility can be taught through session design that forces players into varied roles and by adopting a Total‑Football‑style philosophy where the team plays a shape rather than fixed positions. He likens it to a volleyball approach where players rotate throughout a match, especially after substitutions.
The rewards are significant for both individuals and clubs, though the approach demands a long‑term mindset. "Most coaches avoid it because it can affect immediate results," Micciche admits, "but the payoff in player longevity and squad flexibility is huge." Examples abound: Harry Kane has increasingly dropped into midfield to orchestrate play as he ages, while Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41, reinvented himself from a winger to a pure striker.
Zanetti, too, transitioned to a deeper midfield role when his pace waned, extending his career to 41. Enrique’s ambition to assemble "20 players who can play everywhere" may still be a dream, but PSG and Bayern demonstrate the tangible benefits of such a strategy. As the sport continues to evolve, versatility could become the cornerstone of success for teams aiming to stay ahead in an ever‑changing tactical landscape.