From Barcelona captain to Anfield cult figure

Ronald Araujo had played 35 Champions League matches before arriving at Anfield. In all of those appearances, he managed precisely one goal contribution. Two games into this season's competition, he already has two. An assist against Atletico Madrid, then a header in the romp against LASK. If you wanted a symbol of how quickly the Uruguayan has settled at Liverpool, that stat does the job rather neatly.

What makes it all the more striking is that much of this has happened not in his natural position. With Jeremie Frimpong joining Conor Bradley on the injury list at the weekend, Araujo has been filling in at right-back and doing so with the kind of authority that has turned him into a supporter favourite in barely a matter of months. He's not pretending he's perfectly at home there, either. "I'm not going to deny I don't feel more comfortable at centre-back," he said, "but at the end of the day it's not a difficult position for me." He knew this was a possibility when he agreed to come. He came anyway.

What hit him hardest about joining Liverpool

Araujo arrived from Barcelona in August on a season-long loan, a move that raised eyebrows at the time given he had been club captain at the Nou Camp. He had already experienced the weight of expectation that comes with wearing a famous shirt every week. And yet Liverpool still managed to catch him off guard.

"It surprises me because you know how big Liverpool are, but when you get here and see the dimension of this club, the structure, the fans, you know it's a gigantic team," he said. The demands feel familiar, but there is one difference from life in Catalonia that he has noticed almost immediately. "People here, they are more intense when you go down the street and you go to the centre of Liverpool or go to eat, but that's lovely," he said. "You see how they experience football." For a man who spent years at one of the biggest clubs on the planet, that is not a throwaway observation.

He has responded to it, too. Not just with performances but with an openness about what this move means to him. "I am very happy because I've been welcomed not just by the people at the club but the fans," he said. "I am very grateful to them. I want to give back to them by giving everything in training and every match."

Villarreal, the youngsters and a careful answer on his future

Tuesday's Champions League fixture at Anfield brings a familiar opponent. Araujo earned five wins in seven matches against Villarreal during his time at Barcelona, and his scouting report on them is precise: the second-highest possession stats in Europe after Barcelona, a team that will keep the ball and make you work to get it back. His message to his teammates is clear enough. "We have our players, we are playing at Anfield and we have our identity. We have to give everything from the first minute and impose ourselves on the game."

Off the pitch, Araujo is already trying to pass his experience on to Liverpool's younger players, even if the language barrier means he is doing it partly in Spanish and partly through football's more universal vocabulary. He singled out Jeremy Jacquet, Rio Ngumoha and Lewis Koumas by name, speaking warmly about what they bring to the squad and what they could represent for the club going forward.

As for his own future, Liverpool hold a purchase option of £47 million at the end of the loan. Araujo is not biting. "It's very early to talk about these things," he said. "I'm just trying to enjoy every day, continue to grow and develop." Whether that restraint holds as the season builds is a question worth watching closely.