Emre: We've made a huge step forward under Klopp
Emre Can believes the Barclays Premier League table doesn't offer a true reflection of Liverpool's progress since the appointment of Jürgen Klopp.
But the midfielder acknowledges that he and his teammates must show more consistency between now and the end of the season to ensure they are rewarded for their improvement.
The Reds currently sit in ninth place in the English top flight, but have two games in hand on Southampton and Stoke City (in seventh and eighth respectively) and have played one fewer than Manchester United, West Ham United and Manchester City (in sixth, fifth and fourth place).
As such, Can says qualification for European competition remains the goal for Klopp's men, and he has seen enough in their recent performances to know a late surge is entirely possible.
"You should not only look at the standings," he told kicker.
"We still have to play one, two matches more than the teams ahead of us, we can still gain a few spots. Thus we have achieved something under Jürgen Klopp.
"You should look at the football we have played in recent weeks. We've made a huge step forward as a team and have put in good performances most of the time.
"A berth in an international competition clearly has to remain our goal. Our problem is that we are just not consistent enough.
"We follow up two good matches with one bad match too often. We need to manage to be consistent for a longer period of time. This also applies to me."
The 22-year-old expects results to become less erratic as an inexperienced team continues to grow under the guidance of Klopp and is anticipating a degree of personal development.
He added: "[Consistency will] automatically come with age and experience.
"I also believe that it will be easier to digest matches as you get older. I am someone who sometimes mulls over matches which have been played for too long.
"It's good to think a bit, but stewing over it is not good. I need to learn that."
Can also looked ahead to the upcoming Europa League quarter-final clash with one of the tournament favourites, Borussia Dortmund.
"Dortmund are the slight favourites [but Liverpool have] a 50-50 chance," he said.
"We have come so far in the Europa League, we now want to win the competition."