We are three rounds into the A-League season, and the overall picture is as clear as mud.
No perfect records, no real consistency in results, and hope for all. An egalitarian opening for a salary-capped league, no less.
The stats men must have a warm inner glow, as they try to piece together the whys and why nots, of the puzzle before them.
The two best passing teams (statistically), Sydney FC and the Jets, played out an exciting 2-2 draw on Saturday night, leaving both in the bottom third of the points table. Is passing suddenly less important?
How many times have teams come from 0-2 down against Sydney away from home, and got a result in say the last five seasons?
I don't have that answer at my fingertips, but it wouldn't be many, so does character and resilience suddenly soar to the top of the requirement list?
The Western Sydney Wanderers have gone from having a sluggish start after two games to being prominently placed, and "unbeaten" after three matches. All on the back of a 2-0 result against Wellington Phoenix, in a game that could quite easily have leaned the other way.
Yet that could be an example of the regular underestimation of the Nix, who had gone 13 games unbeaten, in all competitions, prior to the loss.
They will arrive at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night with confidence intact, and belief that they can play effectively in an open and expansive contest.
The Jets could look back at individual errors, and dropped points, or they could see two very respectable efforts on the road, that yielded points that might have been treasured in previous campaigns.
Beauty, progress, recession, are all in the eye of the beholder, and said beholders all have varying philosophies, levels of patience, and indeed levels of pragmatism. It's part of the game's tapestry and intrigue.
Contrary to the polite approach favoured in some junior systems, we do keep score, and tally points, and as such make decisions on the methods, approach and effective production, down the track.
Results should, and always will count, changing your focus on a weekly basis to get them can be counter productive.
Arthur Papas believes in a positive approach, an expansive style, and with that he accepts that his team will be more vulnerable at times, more often confronted with defensive situations where weight of numbers is not a reliable ally .
In this scenario misjudgments and poor decisions can be magnified, and though Papas is on record as wanting to score plenty of goals, he is savvy enough to know that conceding at a rate of two goals per game is historically not conducive to title collections.
He won't abandon the positive approach, nor should he after three matches, but slight tactical adjustments, like the deployment of Jordan O' Doherty at the base of midfield for the Sydney match indicate he is willing to be tactically flexible.
The inclusion of Valentino Yuel for the Sydney game certainly worked big-time, and his confidence should be sky high come kick-off on Friday night.
The Jets have not always played to their potential against the so-called "less credentialed" sides like Wellington in previous seasons, so that is a hurdle to be cleared in itself.
Piece that together with a youthful, well-coached and energetic side, with a dose of imported hard-nosed pragmatism, and a 13-game unbeaten streak before an unlucky last-start loss, and you understand this is not an easier match.
If the Sydney trip showed a depth of character and resolve, as well as some flowing football, tonight's encounter will be about dictating the terms, matching the opponents' intensity, end product and defensive discipline.
Three points would be particularly handy as well.
