“The Butterfly Effect — which is, loosely, when minor changes to the initial conditions of a complex system can result in radically different outcomes — was most prominently researched in relation to weather models in the 1960s. But it can, perhaps, also be applied to football teams — and Victor Lindelof. Did you notice that the Swedish centre-back is a midfielder now, which is working out quite well? And while this is an interesting development in its own right (and much more on this later), it also tells us something about what it means for the systems used in the game. Let’s take Aston Villa, whose central midfielders play an important role in their build-up. Operating at the tip of the deep triangles that Unai Emery sets up on either side of the goalkeeper, their task is to help regulate the progression of the ball from Villa’s own third into their opponent’s half. …”
NYT/ATH
Johan Cruyff’s butterfly effect on Pep Guardiola
YouTube: The Craziest Butterfly Effects in Football

Johan Cruyff