This wasn't how Thiago Alcantara had envisaged his Liverpool career going.
A Champions League quarter-final first leg at Real Madrid should have been the ideal stage for the Spaniard to strut his stuff in his native country against familiar opposition.
Instead, the midfielder found himself watching on from the bench, only introduced three minutes before half-time by which stage the Reds were 2-0 down, a deficit from which they were never able to recover.
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It was an evening indicative of the travails of much of Thiago's early Anfield career since arriving from Bayern Munich in September 2020. Few would have seen it coming when he first signed for the club.
But as, 12 months on, Liverpool prepare once again for a last-eight tie in Europe's premier cup competition, it would be a major surprise if Thiago is not among the first names on Jurgen Klopp's teamsheet for Tuesday's first leg against Benfica in Portugal.
Long banished have been any doubts over whether the former Barcelona graduate would be able to perform in a Klopp midfield, his performances in the closing weeks of last season ensuring Liverpool were able to return to the Champions League with an impressive third-placed Premier League finish.
And, in Saturday's hard-earned victory over Watford, Thiago provided a latest showcase of why he is, when available, such an important cog of the engine room with the Reds continuing to chase down an unprecedented quadruple.
His passing has never been disputed. One no-look ball that bypassed several Watford players before landing at the feet of Curtis Jones drew purrs of appreciation from the Anfield crowd, while Joe Gomez later admitted Thiago's range of distribution and eye for a pass sometimes takes even his own team-mates aback. It was inevitable the Spaniard was involved in the build-up to Diogo Jota's game-breaking opener. Only centre-back duo Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip completed more passes for Liverpool, while nobody made more key passes.
What has enthused just as much, though, is his combative nature. No Liverpool player made more tackles or interceptions against Watford, with Thiago having addressed an issue earlier in his Reds career of going to ground too readily. He has been booked only once this campaign.
The difference he makes is clear. Since the 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea in March 2021, Thiago has started 25 games. Liverpool have lost just once - and that was a 1-0 defeat at home to Inter Milan in the Champions League round of 16 second leg last month that made no difference to progress in the competition. Remarkably, 22 of those 25 matches have ended in victory.
Of course, that Thiago has started only 15 games this season will be used as a stick with which to beat him. True, there have been four separate periods of absence - a calf complaint, coronavirus, a hip injury and, most recently, the thigh problem that forced his tearful exit from the warm-up ahead of the Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea at Wembley - but Thiago has played a part in every game for which he has been available, 25 out of a possible 48.
And it's telling that of the eight Premier League games Liverpool have failed to win this season, the Spaniard was absent for six of them.
Next up, then, is the Estadio da Luz and Benfica, a team against whom Thiago has yet to lose in three previous Champions League meetings while with Barcelona and Bayern.
His final contribution for the latter was to help them win a sixth European Cup two years ago. And Thiago is clearly in the mood to help Liverpool this week edge nearer a potential reunion with his former colleagues.
