KEY POINTS:
It was typical Allan Jones.
Sorry, can't take a call. Ring back in three hours.
Only then, with the think tank and deep analytical session out of the way, did the Auckland City coach attend to the more mundane, turning to the umpteen calls which had not been allowed to disrupt the meticulous planning debate he and assistant Craig Alexander and hired help Paul Marshall had been buried in.
The focus of their attention at Jones' house, just 24 hours before flying out to Japan?
A videotape of Al Ahly's 2-0 semifinal win over Asec Abidjan in Cairo en route to victory in the African Champions League.
Come Sunday night, Jones will put out the 11 players he feels can best do the job against the champion Egyptian side.
They have the added pressure of having to play the tournament opener, in Toyota - a city about 45-60 minutes from Nagoya.
Typically, Jones is leaving nothing to chance.
Surely then, with such careful planning, he could already name his starting XI for one of the most crucial games in his long career?
"No chance," says Jones. "But I have a pretty fair idea of my 13 from which the starting line-up will come."
What did he and his cohorts glean from the tape?
"We know they [Al Ahly] are an extremely hard-working, disciplined side," says Jones. "Technically, they are very good. They have a superb playmaker and they won't tippy-tap around. They play a very direct brand of football with front runners who receive expertly."
So what will he need from his players?
"We have to unlock them, break their normal 3-4-1-2 shape.
"We are going to attack them but without throwing caution to the wind. This is a very, very important match for Auckland City."
And for Oceania football.
"The result, obviously, is crucial but we are not forgetting a win would take us into the semifinals and a guaranteed extra $700,000-$800,000."
Before thinking too much about that, Jones, his staff and players will follow a fairly regimented build-up to the game.
They had a normal recovery session on Monday after Sunday's battling 2-2 draw with YoungHeart Manawatu, had Tuesday off and, travelling business class, the party split into two groups for flights to Narita on Wednesday morning.
They stayed in a nearby hotel before taking the bullet train to Nagoya yesterday where Jones put them through a light training session.
In all probability he will have his 22 players - they are down a player following Dean Gordon's untimely switch to the New Zealand Knights - out for two sessions today.
While he is likely to hold back the team announcement until Sunday morning, his players will have "a pretty good idea" of who will start after tomorrow morning's planned light session where the emphasis will be on set play.
"Then it will be feet up, some massage and rest," says Jones. "On match day the players have the option of breakfast or a lie-in but brunch is compulsory. They will have a final [light] meal 3 1/2 hours before kick-off.
"Under Fifa requirements, we need to be at the ground two hours before the match. I prefer 1 1/2 hours but in these situations, you have no say."
Alexander accompanied City chairman Ivan Vuksich to Japan for the tournament draw and inspected the Toyota venue, which will host only the one match.
"It is a very good stadium," says Alexander who, like Jones is back with the team they steered to successive New Zealand Football Championships.
"It has a capacity of 46,000. They had 20,000 for last year's opener in which Sydney FC lost 1-0 to Costa Rica's Saprissa and are aiming for 30,000 this time."
Jones already has his sights set on a clash with South American champions Internacional from Brazil. That would mean he and his players had overcome the first hurdle and were in the big time.
A loss to Al Ahly would relegate them to the 5th-6th playoff against the loser of the game between Mexico's Club America and Asian representative Jeonbuk Motor (Korea) - something, you feel, does not enter Jones' thinking.
