Luis Enrique introduced a series of tactical twists in Paris Saint‑Germain’s recent clash with Nice that left many observers impressed. He pushed left‑back Nuno Mendes further up the pitch to operate as a left winger, slotted centre‑back Lucas Beraldo into a midfield role, and repositioned left‑winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as a central striker. These 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’s coach Claude Puel after the match.
When journalists asked whether he would continue to experiment with "unexpected solutions" in the upcoming game against Toulouse, Enrique offered a clear window into his philosophy and, more broadly, into a growing tactical trend at the highest level of the sport. "Absolutely," he replied. "It’s my dream to have a squad of twenty players who can fill any role on the pitch.
Nuno Mendes as a full‑back, Nuno Mendes as a winger, Nuno Mendes as a No 9, Nuno Mendes as a midfielder – everyone except the goalkeeper, that would be my ideal. Imagine the opposition manager looking at the line‑up and thinking, ‘He plays everywhere!’ It’s a lofty ambition, I know it will be difficult, but I will keep trying." In the return leg of the Champions League quarter‑final against Liverpool, PSG reverted to a more conventional shape with Mendes and Kvaratskhelia back in their natural positions, yet the team’s performance still revolved around positional interchange.
Defenders dropped into midfield, midfielders swapped flanks, and the front three rotated constantly. Ousmane Dembélé, nominally the No 9, found himself drifting across the line, creating space for himself and pulling Liverpool’s defenders out of position, which allowed his teammates to exploit gaps. Graphics of the line‑up showed Kvaratskhelia to the left of the striker and Desire Doué to the right, but all three can operate anywhere across the attacking line. Their Champions League touch‑map data this season underlines the unpredictability that makes PSG a nightmare to mark.
The same principle of fluidity is evident in the side they will meet in the semi‑final – Bayern Munich under Vincent Kompany. Like Enrique’s side, Bayern borrow heavily from the Total Football tradition, encouraging players to rotate and occupy multiple zones rather than sticking to rigid positions. The first leg was a showcase of this approach and the second leg promises to be equally dynamic. "Harry Kane doesn’t just wait in the box," explained Bayern’s sporting director Max Eberl in February.
"Michael Olise and Luis Diaz don’t simply hug the wing; Joshua Kimmich alternates between right‑back and defensive midfield. Football today is about creativity, about reading the game, reacting to the opponent’s shape, and exploiting the spaces that appear.
The classic 4‑2‑3‑1 or 4‑4‑2 is becoming a relic. When you watch the televised formation at kickoff, you’ll often see the defensive midfielder and the No 10 drifting wide, centre‑backs and full‑backs making central runs, and so on. True specialists who can only perform one function will become rarer as the sport grows more dynamic and variable." Bayern’s most illustrative example of this adaptability is Konrad Laimer.
He arrived from RB Leipzig as a central midfielder but has since been deployed on both the right and left sides of the defence. His ability to switch roles from game to game – and even within a single match – has made him indispensable for the German giants.
"Konny fits that model perfectly," added Eberl. "He started as a No 10 at Red Bull Salzburg, then became a No 8 at Leipzig.
He joined us as a midfielder, but now he also fills in at full‑back, exactly the kind of versatility we value." Laimer may not be a household name, yet his importance to Bayern mirrors a broader pattern across Europe: the most valuable players are those who can perform competently in several positions. At Liverpool, Dominik Szoboszlai can play central midfield, right‑back, or even push forward as an attacking option. Manchester City, after the departure of Bernardo Silva, have added Nico O'Reilly, a youngster comfortable as a midfielder and as a full‑back.
Arsenal’s Declan Rice exemplifies the modern utility player, capable of operating as a defensive midfielder, a box‑to‑box No 8, or even slotting into centre‑back when injuries arise. His teammate Kai Havertz, originally an attacking midfielder, has been used by Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann as an adventurous left‑back, highlighting how national team coaches also value positional flexibility. Perhaps the most striking case is Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde.
He can occupy any midfield role, patrol the right flank, or act as a forward, adjusting his game seamlessly to the tactical demands of each match. His teammate Trent Alexander‑Arnold once called Valverde "the most underrated player on the planet" after a hat‑trick against Manchester City, and manager Álvaro Arbeloa added, "There is no flaw in him. It doesn’t matter where you put him." Luis Enrique himself embodies the ideal of a versatile football mind.
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. Former Inter and Argentina legend Javier Zanetti is another classic example.
Though 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 2009‑10 Champions League triumph under José Mourinho. "Versatility is crucial because it lets you fill the spot the team needs most at any moment," Zanetti, now Inter’s vice‑president, told Sky Sports. "It earns the trust of teammates and the manager, showing they believe you can cover different positions.
Players today should aim for that adaptability." The push for multifunctional athletes is driven by both stylistic evolution and practical considerations. As the football calendar becomes increasingly congested and injuries more common, squads that can field players in multiple roles gain a competitive edge. Financial incentives also play a part. Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez remarked 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." Adapting to new positions is not innate for everyone.
Zanetti stresses that his versatility was the result of hard work and keen tactical education. "I applied myself a lot," he explained. "Whenever I was asked to play somewhere else, I focused, absorbed the coach’s instructions, and used that guidance to adjust.
Tactical intelligence is essential, but it’s something you develop over a career. My physical attributes allowed managers to see my capacity to adapt, and that earned their trust." Not everyone agrees that the fluid, interchangeable style seen at PSG and Bayern represents the future of football.
Some pundits argue that a resurgence of direct play and set‑piece reliance signals a regression rather than progress. Nevertheless, many clubs are investing in youth development programs that nurture positional flexibility. Dan Micciche, a youth‑development specialist who has worked with Everton, Arsenal, Tottenham, and England and now serves as academy manager for Al‑Ahli in Saudi Arabia, explains the rationale behind this approach.
"Exposing players to different positions is about the outcomes they gain," he told Sky Sports. "It also aligns with individual development plans. For instance, at Spurs we once placed a midfielder at centre‑back against a tall striker to improve his aerial ability and heading technique." Micciche believes versatility can be taught through deliberate session design.
"You create constraints that force players into unfamiliar roles, and you adopt a Total‑Football‑style philosophy where you play a shape rather than a fixed position. It’s similar to volleyball, where players rotate continuously and experience various spots on the court, especially when substitutions are made." The benefits are substantial for both players and clubs, though the approach requires a long‑term mindset.
"Most coaches shy away because it can affect immediate results, and they want to win now," Micciche admits. Yet the payoff includes extended career longevity. Harry Kane, for example, has increasingly dropped deeper into midfield to orchestrate play, while still arriving late in the box to score. Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41, reinvented himself from a wide attacker to a pure striker, maintaining his goal‑scoring prowess.
Zanetti offers another illustration: as his pace waned in the latter stages of a three‑decade career, he transitioned to a deeper midfield role at Inter, allowing him to continue contributing at the highest level until the age of 41. "That was important, without doubt," he reflected.
"Staying fit and adapting my game helped me play for so long." Enrique’s dream of a squad where twenty players can operate anywhere remains aspirational, but the success of PSG and Bayern demonstrates that versatility is already a decisive factor in modern elite football. As clubs continue to value adaptable talent, the traditional notion of a single‑position specialist is fading, making way for a new generation of footballers capable of thriving wherever the manager places them.