'I had to prove my point this season'
Before competitive action got underway at the outset of this season, his sixth in full with the Reds, one man inside the Liverpool dressing room strongly believed he had a point to prove.
By his own admission, centre-back Martin Skrtel endured a testing campaign throughout 2012-13 - including an extended spell among the substitutes as Brendan Rodgers altered his set-up.
It says a lot about the character of the man, however, that the Slovakian has forced his way back into the Northern Irishman's plans, providing a reliable presence amid a raft of injuries to defensive colleagues.
And if the No.37 had not already posted renewed proof of his credentials with his sterling work at the back, Skrtel's quick-fire double against Arsenal on Saturday ensured his form had come full circle.
Taking up the story himself, the 29-year-old explained: "When the manager came in he tried to change things and our style that we play.
"It was something new for all of us. As a defender, the main thing is always to defend and try to protect your goal, but I have also had to make changes.
"I knew last season wasn't the best for me. I made a few mistakes and cost us some points, but this season I think it is much better. Things are working well at the moment. I want to stay in the team and carry on in this way until the end of the season.
"Before this season started I just said to myself: 'I will fight and work very hard to try to show people I am able to play and start the games'.
"I tried to work very hard in training every day and when I got a chance to play, I tried to do my best to help the team. Liverpool are a massive club and I just wanted to prove to people I am able to play for this club."
Less than a minute had passed at Anfield last weekend before Skrtel connected with a precise Steven Gerrard free-kick to divert into the back of net and kick-start a rout over the Gunners.
In what felt like a blink of an eye, the defender was causing havoc in the opposition penalty area once more, taking advantage of another delivery by the skipper to loop a header into the top corner.
His double created a platform for the Reds to simply destroy their Barclays Premier League rivals, with a Raheem Sterling double either side of half-time complementing Daniel Sturridge's finish.
Skrtel reflected: "I've never played in a game when the opening 20 minutes was like that. To be winning 4-0 so early against such a good team was amazing.
"We spoke before the game about needing to start well, to try to press them and score an early goal. It worked well. It was a terrific afternoon for every single person working for Liverpool. When you beat a team like Arsenal 5-1, it's something special.
"It was a great victory and a massive three points for us. Everybody in the team worked really hard for it. Our record against the big teams at home so far this season has been perfect. That is different compared to previous years and we need to keep it going."
From the particular challenges of competing with a team targeting the Premier League summit, Liverpool now switch focus to a side merely aiming to preserve their status in the division.
Rodgers' charges travel to bottom-of-the-table Fulham on Wednesday, with Skrtel's message simply that a similar level of performance is required for the clash at Craven Cottage.
"It is going to be a tough game," he added. "They are fighting against relegation and it's a different test. We have to show the kind of performance we did on Saturday and try to bring the three points home with us.
"No-one in the dressing room is talking about the title. We still have to play 13 matches and anything can happen, so we are just going from game to game.
"We will try to get as many points as we can. We are fighting for the top four and the result against Arsenal showed we are ready for the battle."