In a packed field, there is plenty of evidence to suggest Ange Postecoglou is one of the most stubborn people in football.
The Australian coach has his ideals – get the ball on the floor, and attack at pace – and he is never going to veer from them.
Memorably, when he lost two players to red cards in a white-hot London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, he still implored his players forward.
Those left out there were pushing up field throughout, railing against the inevitable, and got a standing ovation for their efforts despite defeat. “It’s who we are, mate” Postecoglou said defiantly after that game.
It’s definitely who he is. Now aged 61, it feels unlikely he is ever going to compromise on his commitment to front-foot, high-octane football.
But he might have finally met his match: the weather in late summer in the Middle East.
Postecoglou took charge of Saudi Pro League champions Al Nassr this summer. Even though it is just mid-September, they have already played seven league matches, and a cup game, all in intense heat and humidity.
Now they are about to start their AFC Champions League Elite campaign in Al Ain, against the double-winning champions of the UAE.
Finally, Postecoglou has acknowledged he is having to modify how his side go about things, thanks to a fixture list he terms “ridiculous”.
“We've already played eight games in the hottest part of the year,” Postecoglou said, speaking in the bowels of Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on Monday.
“The scheduling in our league has been ridiculous, to be honest. The last game was in even more humidity than this and the players are doing absolutely everything they can.
“Unfortunately, that's not acknowledged by everyone when they talk about performances. It does mean we have to adjust the way we play, and it will be the same with this fixture, particularly at this time of the year.”
Even before arriving in Riyadh this summer to take up the role vacated by Jorge Jesus at Nassr, he had knowledge of these sapping conditions.
He brought the Australia national team to Abu Dhabi in 2016 and beat the UAE in a game in which his Socceroos players scarcely stopped for breath, despite the oppressive weather.
That was for a one-off fixture during an international window. Postecoglou said it is impossible to expect players to go full tilt over an extended sequence of games at this time of year.
“We know that during the latter months and early months of the year the conditions are a lot more favourable,” Postecoglou said.
“We have to take a different approach. It's only fair on the players; to try to play the kind of football we want in these conditions – and only three days ago we were in worse humidity than this – I have to adjust the way we play.
“Hopefully as we go along, we'll get stronger and as the climate sort of allows us to, the football will look a bit different.”
Whatever his frustrations are, his opposition might be minded to point out that he still has firepower to work with.
Al Ain were all-conquering double winners in the UAE last season, and did not lose a game.
They have players who featured in the World Cup in the summer, such as Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi, Paraguay playmaker Kaku, and Ramy Rabia of Egypt.
And yet few teams anywhere are quite so gilded as the touring side from Riyadh. Cristiano Ronaldo will lead their forward line, supported by Sadio Mane and Joao Felix.
The challenge might be a daunting one for the hosts, were it not for the fact they can draw on positive recent memories against the same opposition.
When Al Ain won Asia’s top competition three seasons ago, they beat Nassr on the way to the title.
“I always talk to my teammates and say that in a football career, there are moments that create memories to last permanently,” Khalid Essa, Al Ain’s goalkeeper-captain, said.
“As a footballer, regardless of the game or the name of the opposition, you always have to be focused and give your maximum.
“But there are moments where a player should give the double of his skills, because this is where a moment can be made to last in history.”
Vladimir Ivic, the Al Ain coach, is under no illusions about the scale of the task facing his side. But he pointed out they have no reason to fear the all-star visiting side.
“We respect our opponent, but of course that we believe in ourselves,” said Ivic, whose defence of the UAE Pro League has started with four wins and a draw.
“This is something that is most important for me; that my guys are ready, they are motivated, and they will give their maximum.”
