Riyad Mahrez has started only two of Manchester City's eight Premier League games this season, but when it comes to pursuing Champions League glory, he remains central to Pep Guardiola's plans.
The Algerian winger has featured in the starting XI for all three of City's European games this season, the latest being Tuesday evening's fixture away at Belgian side Club Brugge.
For Mahrez, this isn't an overly unusual situation. Last season everything seemed to fall into place for him, after two seasons of inconsistency following his move from Leicester in 2018.
And it was actually in the Champions League where he made the biggest impact. He started nine of City's 13 games in the competition, scoring vital goals against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals.
He didn't exactly struggle in the league - a haul of nine goals and six assists was not to be sniffed at - but the proportion of City's games that he started was far fewer, 23 out of 38 to be exact.
Essentially, in Europe he was the guy to get things done. At home, he was one of many. That is by no means a criticism of Mahrez, more an acknowledgement that City are just absolutely stacked with wide talents.
The re-emergence of Gabriel Jesus, who has often been picked ahead of Mahrez on the right-wing this season, has made life even harder for the 30-year-old.
It may not even be a bad thing for Mahrez that Guardiola is opting to use him more in the Champions League. Everyone knows that the competition is Pep's holy grail, an honour that he is desperate to reclaim after a decade of trying.
The Catalan has led City to three league titles in five seasons, so it's would only be natural for his priorities to shift slightly.
If that is the case, then it reflects very well on Mahrez that he is the right-flank option that Pep is trusting to bring him Ol' Big Ears.
The strength of City's starting XI in Bruges, coupled with the heavy squad rotation that Guardiola employed for the Burnley game on Saturday, suggests he is saving his big guns for Europe during this congested period of the season.
Mahrez is a professional, of course, so he'll want to play every single game possible. If he impresses in the Champions League, then expect his domestic minutes to increase too. However, if they don't, then it's not necessarily a bad thing.
