Luis Enrique surprised many in PSG’s comfortable 4-0 win over Nice by reshuffling his personnel: Nuno Mendes was pushed up to the left wing, centre-back Lucas Beraldo was used in midfield and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia led the attack. The reshuffle confused Nice and highlighted how positional fluidity can create openings; Mendes adapted smoothly to a more advanced role. Asked whether he will keep experimenting, Enrique said it is his ambition to have a squad in which players can operate in multiple roles, imagining a team where almost everyone can fill different positions and force opponents to rethink their plans.
That same spirit was visible during PSG’s two-legged demolition of Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals, even when names appeared in their usual spots. Defenders stepped into midfield, midfielders switched flanks and the front three rotated constantly; Ousmane Dembélé, nominally a striker, popped up across the attack to make and exploit space. PSG’s touch maps illustrated the unpredictability that makes them so difficult to defend against.
Bayern Munich under Vincent Kompany follow a similar doctrine. Sporting director Max Eberl has emphasised that key players do far more than their traditional jobs: Harry Kane is not a static box striker, Michael Olise and Luis Díaz are not limited to one-on-one wing play, and Joshua Kimmich alternates between right-back and defensive midfield. Modern tactics, Eberl argues, are about creativity and reading how opponents are set up to find and exploit space rather than being wedded to rigid formations.
Konrad Laimer is a concrete example of that flexibility. Acquired as a midfielder from RB Leipzig, he has thrived as both a right and left-back and can operate in advanced midfield roles too. His range of positions has made him a particularly valuable piece in Bayern’s adaptable system.
Versatility is now a recurring theme across top clubs. Dominik Szoboszlai has been utilised across midfield, at right-back and even in advanced areas for Liverpool. Manchester City’s new signing Nico O’Reilly brings midfield and full-back options. Declan Rice at Arsenal can function as a six or an eight and provide cover at centre-back, while Kai Havertz has been employed in midfield, up front and even as an overlapping left-sided option for Germany. Federico Valverde at Real Madrid is often cited as the benchmark: capable anywhere in midfield or along the right flank, his all-round game was on full display in a standout hat-trick against Manchester City.
The idea that one player can cover many roles is not new. Javier Zanetti, the Inter and Argentina great, routinely played at right-back, left-back, in holding midfield and centrally across a long career, even filling multiple roles during Inter’s 2009/10 Champions League run. Zanetti has stressed that versatility builds trust with team-mates and managers and that adaptability is learned through focused study and coaching, not just talent.
Practical factors accelerate the shift. A congested calendar and frequent injuries make multifunctional players extremely valuable, while clubs can save money by using one adaptable player where they might otherwise need several specialists. As former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez put it, having a player who can cover three spots reduces the need to sign three different players.
Youth academies are adapting too. Dan Micciche, who has worked in the academies at Everton, Arsenal, Spurs and with England and now at Al-Ahli, describes training designs and tactical constraints that force youngsters into unfamiliar positions to develop specific attributes. Examples include deploying midfielders as centre-backs to work on aerial ability or rotating players through roles to emphasise team shape over fixed positions. He advocates a style where players circulate through different functions, though he notes many coaches shy away from it because it can complicate short-term results.
Versatility can also extend careers. Harry Kane has reinvented himself as a deeper playmaker and late-arriving finisher, Cristiano Ronaldo shifted from a wide creator to an out-and-out striker to prolong his goalscoring peak, and Zanetti credits positional adaptability with helping him perform at a high level into his 40s.
Not everyone believes tactical fluidity is the only path forward; some argue that a focus on direct play and set-pieces is a counter-trend. Still, clubs are investing in multi-role players, and managers like Enrique openly pursue squads full of adaptable options.
As PSG and Bayern prepare for their Champions League semi-final clash, their emphasis on players who can perform multiple functions underscores versatility as both a tactical advantage and a practical necessity: it allows teams to adjust to opponents, cope with injuries and get more value from their squads. Follow the Champions League semi-final first leg between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich live on Sky Sports; kick-off 8pm.