Klopp on LFC squad depth and defensive issues

The Reds have won just two of their 12 fixtures so far this year, a run of form that has cost them a shot at silverware and harmed their chances of a top-four Premier League finish.

A lack of strength in depth has been cited as a potential reason for the recent drop-off by some observers, but Klopp believes a lack of consistency is instead to blame.

And the German wants his players to force a reassessment of their quality come the end of the campaign by winning as many of their 12 remaining matches as possible.

"With the injuries we had, it looked like at the end that the squad depth was not enough - that's the situation," he told Premier League Productions.

"It's what we use, it's an experience if you want. It's not that we didn't know about possible scenarios, [that] if things like this happen in this or that moment it could be difficult. 

"But you cannot be prepared with having five/six more players and be ready for all the stuff [because] the situation was we had no [European] football. 

"Of course, we learned already [from] it, and we will still learn from it, that's how life works. We need to make it really difficult for people around to be right with what they already thought before the season. 

"'The squad is not good enough' - this squad showed in a lot of moments how good they are, and this is still the base we work with. 

"But not being consistent is really not nice to talk about because if someone can say this about you it means you are capable of really big things but not every day obviously. We need to accept it and work on it."

Liverpool have conceded 33 league goals thus far this term - more than any other side in the top eight positions of the English top flight.

While Klopp admits that figure is far too high, he believes the injury problems which have left him unable to name a steady centre-half partnership are partly responsible.

"If we talk about defence, we conceded goals because of different reasons," he added.

"Did we concede too many goals? Yes, absolutely. But when we started talking about it, people spoke to me about single players - it was not because of single players.

"We had to change a lot, that's the truth, especially in the centre-half position. I think everybody was convinced, and maybe surprised, about the quality of Joel Matip, even by the quality of Ragnar Klavan. 

"But then Joel had his foot issues, Ragnar was really ill in a moment when we really needed him and when you are ill and come back you need time to come back and it's a new league for him, all that stuff. 

"Lucas is usually a holding midfielder, but in this moment he had to play [centre-half]. Joe Gomez is a very young lad with an unbelievably difficult injury out for the long-term. 

"We kept space for all these boys and it could have worked out, but then Dejan Lovren is out meanwhile for four weeks. 

"Play through the season, let me say, with Dejan and Joel in their best shape - it's a perfect situation. Then we can build on common experiences, what we did in this game, what we did in that game. We couldn't do this. 

"It seems like an excuse, it's only an explanation [for] what happened. It was not the best thing but it's not that we really struggle in defence on this position. 

"Yes, we did it sometimes, because players were not in the best moment because of different reasons, that's all."