There is never a bigger difference in enjoyment level for players and fans than when football games are played in the snow.
For those of us wrapped up inside several layers in the stands or watching from home with the heating turned up, the whole spectacle is never less than faintly hilarious.
By contrast, the performers in the thick of the action are generally walking a tightrope with the prospect of a humiliating mistake or a nasty injury lurking below.
Defenders probably have it worse, given lucky skidding bounces are rarely likely to be their friends, which made Joao Cancelo continuing his recent champagne form in Manchester City’ s 2-1 win over West Ham all the more remarkable.
Ever the perfectionist, Pep Guardiola was tearing into three-quarters of his back four as Sunday’s first half played out amid a howling blizzard.
Ruben Dias, in particular, was the recipient of plenty of animated advice, while Aymeric Laporte’s patchy form of late probably could have done without Eastlands turning into Lapland.
Kyle Walker acquitted himself well enough but knows the drill by now - if you’re the full-back on Pep’s side, you’re generally watching the film with the DVD commentary blaring.
From his icy sanctuary on the left, Cancelo went merrily about his work and earned the right to uncork the good stuff.
He serenely skipped beyond a pair of challenges in his own area after an early opening for Michail Antonio, while an 11th-minute clearance under pressure at the back post showed brilliant defensive awareness.
Then the most creative attacking full-back in world football then came to the fore - another trademark outside-of-the-foot pass to release Raheem Sterling was particularly pleasing.
The sense of Cancelo being able to use the treacherous conditions to his advantage, with his Swiss army knife range of passing options, was only heightened by his cross-field ball that spun deliciously into Riyad Mahrez’s path for the Algeria winger to set up Ilkay Gundogan’s breakthrough goal.
Cancelo took one for the team when he brought down Pablo Fornals on halfway after an hour and, in an update to the old adage, he seemingly decided the best form of defence was to dictate attacks for the next 15 minutes or so.
Aaron Creswell had just clattered painfully into the post as he completed a phenomenal clearance to deny Jesus, ending his afternoon, and Cancelo stepped forward to show playing left-back can be a contrastingly enjoyable pastime.
Sterling’s tireless battle against the impressive Ben Johnson had long taken on the feel of a snowplough battling uphill against a heavy drift, which left the Portugal star to bring a lightness to proceedings down that flank.
There was one-two with Sterling his own half, drawing West Ham towards the ball before releasing Jesus with a delicious lofted ball, while a dangerous 72nd-minute cross was followed by Johnson and Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski combining to thwart him as he bustled towards the six-yard box.
From that point, Cancelo had to apply himself to a little more of the nitty-gritty before Fernandinho and Manuel Lanzini traded late goals.
According to Opta, he had more touches than any City player with 114. He also contested more duels (14) and more aerial duels (five) than any of his teammates - handily demonstrating his excellence in both aspects of the game right now.
For long periods on Sunday, Cancelo made what should have been a thankless task look almost offensively easy. He truly is a rare talent.
