Luis Enrique shocked spectators with a series of unexpected tactical tweaks during Paris Saint-Germain's recent clash against Nice. In a bold move, he shifted left‑back Nuno Mendes onto the left wing, deployed centre‑back Lucas Beraldo in a midfield role, and pushed left winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia into a striking position.
These adjustments helped PSG secure a convincing 4‑0 victory, with Mendes delivering a standout performance in his new slot while Nice struggled to cope with the fluid, ever‑changing shape of their opponents. Nice coach Claude Puel lamented, "We let them play too freely." When asked whether he would experiment with more "unexpected solutions" in the upcoming match versus Toulouse, Enrique offered a glimpse into his broader tactical philosophy and the evolving nature of elite football.
"Of course, it's my dream," he said. "I would love to have twenty players who can operate everywhere – Nuno Mendes as a full‑back, as a winger, as a No 9, even as a midfielder. Everyone except the goalkeeper, that would be my dream. You can imagine the opposition manager seeing the line‑up and thinking, 'He plays everywhere…!' It will be difficult, but I will try." The subsequent quarter‑final tie against Liverpool saw PSG revert to a more conventional line‑up, with Mendes and Kvaratskhelia returning to their natural positions.
Yet the matches 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, scored twice in the second leg and constantly appeared in different zones, either carving out space for himself or dragging Liverpool defenders out of position to create opportunities for teammates. Graphics of the line‑up displayed Kvaratskhelia to the left and Desire Doué to the right, but all three could operate across the entire attacking line.
Their Champions League touch‑maps this season underline the unpredictability that makes PSG so difficult to contain. A similar flexibility is evident in the side they now face in the semi‑finals – Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich.
Like Enrique's side, Bayern borrow heavily from the principles of Total Football, with players rotating into various roles rather than adhering to rigid positions. This approach produced a captivating first leg and promises more of the same in the return fixture.
"Harry Kane doesn't just sit in the box and wait," explained Bayern sporting director Max Eberl in February. "Michael Olise and Luis Diaz don't simply hug the wing one‑on‑one. Joshua Kimmich alternates between right‑back and defensive midfield." Eberl continued, "Modern football is increasingly about creativity – how do we want to play, what do we need to react to, how is the opponent set up, and where are the spaces we can exploit?
The classic, rigid 4‑2‑3‑1 or 4‑4‑2 formations are becoming relics. When you watch the tactical setups on TV at kickoff, they often look completely different because the defensive midfielder and the No 10 drift wide, centre‑backs and full‑backs make runs into central areas, and so on. True specialists who can only do one thing will become rarer, as the game grows more dynamic and variable." One of Bayern's most emblematic examples of this versatility is Konrad Laimer.
Signed from RB Leipzig as a midfielder, Laimer has since excelled at both right‑back and left‑back. His ability to switch positions from game to game – and even within a single match – makes him an invaluable asset. Eberl praised him, saying, "Konny started as a No 10 at Red Bull Salzburg, then became a No 8 at Leipzig, joined us as a midfielder, and now plays as a full‑back in the way Vinny envisions a full‑back." Laimer's modest profile belies his importance to Bayern, and similar patterns can be observed at other top clubs.
Liverpool boast Dominik Szoboszlai, capable of operating anywhere in midfield, at right‑back, or even further up the pitch. Manchester City, while losing Bernardo Silva, have acquired Nico O'Reilly, a player comfortable as a midfielder and a full‑back. Arsenal feature Declan Rice, who can slot in as a defensive midfielder, a box‑to‑box midfielder, or even cover centre‑back, while teammate Kai Havertz has been deployed in midfield, attack, and occasionally as a left‑back under Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann.
Perhaps the most striking illustration of modern versatility is Real Madrid's Federico Valverde. He can function in any midfield role, as a winger on either flank, or as a more advanced playmaker, always adapting seamlessly to the team's needs.
His teammate Trent Alexander‑Arnold hailed Valverde as "the most underrated player on the planet" after a recent hat‑trick against Manchester City, adding, "There is no flaw in him. It doesn't matter where you put him," echoed manager Álvaro Arbeloa. Luis Enrique himself embodies this philosophy.
As a player, he appeared in every outfield position except centre‑back during his spells with Sporting Gijón, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and the Spanish national team. Javier Zanetti is another legend who epitomises versatility.
Primarily a right‑back, Zanetti also excelled at left‑back, as a holding midfielder, and even as a centre‑back, covering all four roles during Inter's Champions League triumph under José Mourinho in 2009/10. "Versatility is crucial because it lets you play wherever your team needs you 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 possess that flexibility." The push for adaptable players is driven by both stylistic and practical considerations.
As the football calendar becomes more congested and injuries more frequent, having multi‑position players offers squad depth without inflating the roster. Financial incentives are also significant. Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez noted in 2024, "If you have one player who can cover three positions, you don't need to sign three separate specialists – those players save you money." Adaptation, however, is not innate for everyone.
Zanetti stresses that his versatility resulted from hard work and constant learning. "I applied myself a lot. Whenever I had to play a new role, I focused, absorbed the coach's instructions, and used that guidance. Tactical intelligence is fundamental, but I developed it throughout my career.
My attributes allowed managers to trust me in different roles." Not everyone agrees that the fluidity displayed by PSG and Bayern signals football's future. Some critics argue that recent trends toward direct play and set‑piece reliance suggest a regression rather than progress.
Nevertheless, many clubs are investing in developing home‑grown talent capable of filling multiple 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, explains how training is adapted.
"Exposing players to different positions is about the outcomes they achieve. It also ties into individual development plans.
For instance, at Spurs we once played a midfielder as a centre‑back against tall strikers to improve his aerial ability and heading." Micciche believes versatility can be taught. "It involves designing sessions where constraints force players into unfamiliar roles, and adopting a Total‑Football‑style approach where you play a shape, not a position. There's also a volleyball‑style concept where players rotate throughout a game, especially during substitutions, to gain experience across the pitch." The benefits are substantial for both individuals and clubs, though implementing such a strategy requires a long‑term perspective.
"Most coaches avoid it because it can affect immediate results and they want to win now," Micciche admits. Yet the payoff includes greater player longevity. Harry Kane, for example, has increasingly dropped deeper to act as a playmaker, arriving late in the box to finish chances.
Cristiano Ronaldo, at 41, transitioned from a wide attacker to a pure striker, maintaining his goal‑scoring prowess. Zanetti himself adapted to a deeper midfield role as his pace waned, extending his career into his early forties.
These examples illustrate why Luis Enrique continues to chase his vision of "twenty players who can play everywhere." While the quest is ambitious, the success of clubs like PSG and Bayern demonstrates that versatility is not just a tactical novelty but a strategic imperative for modern football's evolution.