Monday 23 January 2017 15:58, UK
Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool cannot blame absentees for their recent drop off in form.
The Reds face Southampton in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final at Anfield on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7.30pm, aiming to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit and address an alarming slump in their recent results.
Liverpool have won only one of their last six matches in all competitions, but have been without joint-top scorer Sadio Mane since January 2 after the forward linked up with the Senegal squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Influential midfielder Philippe Coutinho has only recently returned from a six-week lay-off with an ankle ligament injury, while defender Joel Matip was given clearance by FIFA to play for Liverpool last week following a row over his eligibility with the Cameroon Football Federation.
"We missed Sadio, we missed Phil for a time and we missed Joel Matip. As much as I like Sadio, it's not that we had problems because we missed Sadio," Klopp said.
"We made other mistakes, not because we're not scoring enough goals. We scored enough goals to win the games.
"You always speak about defence, or players. I speak about the whole defence of the team. If it was to buy one player and fix it, I'd be silly not to do it. But it's not that simple.
"I knew about the problems we had after Christmas, and that was disappointing. I saw before the game that we are back on the right track and we could see the freshness coming back in training.
"But then we have this game, and it's not so nice. But that's part of life too. We had a long meeting after the game, so I'm ready for the rest of the season.
"We've come through a very intense period"
Liverpool suffered their first home defeat of the season on Saturday, going down 3-2 to relegation-threatened Swansea which left them 10 points adrift of Premier League leaders Chelsea.
Matip, who has been sidelined by an ankle injury, played an hour for Liverpool's U23s on Sunday as they defeated Ipswich Town 3-0 in the Premier League Cup and could feature against Southampton.
When asked about the upcoming return of Matip, the Liverpool manager said: "It's good because he's a really good player.
"But he was injured for six weeks, so the other players had to play nearly all the time. So that's the problem, not that Joel couldn't play all the time.
"So he was not available but we had to cope with it. We are not happy with the last few results, but we understand it.
"Sometimes, there's a single mistake, but most the time it's seven or eight players. That's how we understand it. It's not about one player. We really have to do better"
Liverpool claimed a thumping 6-1 victory over the Saints in the EFL Cup last season, but Klopp is expecting another tough affair following a tight first-leg at St Mary's.
"We played Southampton last year in this cup, twice in Premier League again," he said.
"Against us they're a footballing side, against us they defend pretty deep. Against us, I think that's a sign of respect.
"This time, both sides were frustrated. They had counter-attack, really clear moments, where they had chances. For us, 1-0, 0-0 is no different. Still all to play for."
