Simon Mignolet has admitted Liverpool need to add 'defensive, aggressive spirit' to their natural attacking game in order to succeed this season.

The Reds have conceded four goals in their first two games of the 2017-18 campaign - a 3-3 draw at Watford in the Premier League and 2-1 Champions League win away to Hoffenheim.

Mignolet, who started between the sticks in both fixtures, understandably wants to see fewer additions to the 'goals conceded' column in the weeks ahead.

However, the Belgian insists that should not come at the expense of the free-flowing football that has seen Jürgen Klopp's team net on five occasions already.

“We can only play one way and that is forward,” he said. “We know that we can always score. We have so much style up front.

“We have so much talent in the squad that we have to use it. We have the qualities and our natural game will be attacking.

“But we know we have to fill that in with a really defensive spirit. We know that is where we have to improve.

“We are not blind. Everybody knows it in the dressing room, but there is no point throwing everything away.

“A natural footballing side that goes forward, you cannot change that, but we know we have to mix that in with a good defensive, aggressive spirit to make sure they don’t score the goals.”

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Liverpool's defensive record could have been worse were it not for Mignolet's penalty save from Andrej Kramaric in the 11th minute of Tuesday's win in Germany.

Reflecting on the stop, his seventh from 20 spot-kicks faced for the club, he added: “I helped the team but that's my job.

“The first half it was difficult for us as they created chances. I made a save with my legs after the penalty but that was a big moment.

“All credit again to the analysts who gave me all the correct information [for the penalty].

“We were nearly there. It was unfortunate to concede in the last couple of minutes, but before the game we would have taken two goals away from home.

“It is more about qualifying for the Champions League than clean sheets. I will take this all the time.”

True to form, the No.22 is now focused on taking the lessons learned from the opening two games into the equally important challenges ahead.

"When you are in the spotlight and play at the highest level, in the Premier League and the Champions League, there are always going to be things thrown at you," he continued.

"You have to be strong enough characters to deal with that. We just try and improve in training and create the best team spirit to deal with everything.

"I think we have so much quality inside the team and with what we learned in the last 10 games of last season we can definitely be successful.

"We have to try and look in the mirror and say it is only us who can change it.

"We know how long we had to fight to get that fourth place in the Premier League and we don’t want to throw it away.

"We need to beat Crystal Palace and then see the Champions League qualifier out."