Jurgen Klopp accepts Liverpool's season has not been good enough but insists neither he nor his players are worse than last year.
Liverpool have collected one point from their past three Premier League matches and are down in eighth in the Premier League, 10 points adrift of the top four with leaders Arsenal to come on Sunday.
The Reds not only face missing out on the Champions League places for the first time in seven full seasons under Klopp, they will also finish the campaign trophyless.
It is a far cry from 12 months ago when they had already won the EFL Cup and were in contention for three other trophies, albeit ultimately only adding the FA Cup to their collection.
Klopp, who has regularly bemoaned his side's injury issues this season, is confident Liverpool can come back stronger with some smart recruitment in the transfer window.
"It is one of these moments where it is really not good – I am not native so I can't explain it better in English," he said of his side's season to date.
"You get in this whirlwind and it sucks you in that direction and all of a sudden it's like, 'wow, where are we?'
"I am not a worse manager than last year, definitely not. It doesn't mean the outcome is good enough, not at all. But I'm not worse.
"And the players are not worse players. They just play worse. That's definitely the case. But yes, with smart recruitment we will improve – definitely. That is the plan."
Liverpool have been linked with numerous players, Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham among them, but Klopp is realistic about what is possible in terms of strengthening his squad.
"The difference is whatever we do next year will never be enough from people's point of view and your [the media's] point of view," he said.
"We cannot make 24 changes and say, 'here we go' – not even 10 [changes]. But it is just that we have to make changes, smart changes, and then we go again.
"We have other moments when we think about what happens next year but this is not the moment."
Sunday's opponents Arsenal provide a source of inspiration for Klopp, the Gunners having gone from finishing fifth last season to leading the division this time around.
"I said last week that I hate the fact that I have to rely on what we did in the past," Klopp said. "I couldn't care less what we did in the past, honestly.
"But because we can't ignore the past, it's not like we can't forget it, but if we go through this together we can have a massive benefit next year, not guaranteed but a good chance.
"So it is like it is still hidden somewhere there and we have to let it out again. Next chance for us [to do that] is Arsenal."
Leicester's Fatawu ruled out for rest of season with ACL injury
Leicester City manager Steve Cooper confirmed Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) while playing for Ghana against Angola during the international break.
Fatawu has featured in all 11 of Leicester's Premier League matches so far this season and has registered two assists.
No Leicester player has attempted (61) or completed (29) more dribbles than him, while his 30 crosses is also a team-high in the top-flight this season.
"It's not good, it's a serious injury," said Cooper ahead of their match against Chelsea on Saturday.
"It's a real blow, first and foremost for him, being a young player and having an injury as serious as what an ACL is.
"Albeit, it can be quite common in sport, and in particular football, but it's still a serious injury.
"For it to happen at a young age is a blow for him and a blow for us as well.
"He's obviously a big talent and a young player, as exciting as he can be at his age, with lots to learn.
"It's only a pause, and we will make sure, as difficult as it is at the moment for him, that he comes back being a stronger player and person, which, with the mentality and character that he has, I think will be the case."
Arsenal qualifying for Champions League quarter-finals feels 'surreal', says Slegers
Renee Slegers says it feels "surreal" that Arsenal have secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with two games to spare.
The Gunners will finish at least second in Group C after Lina Hurtig's late strike secured a 1-0 win over Juventus on Thursday.
What looked to be a frustrating encounter was turned around by Slegers' substitutions, and after missing a glorious chance, Hurtig was eventually the difference at the Emirates.
Arsenal created 3.69 expected goals (xG) from their nine shots, getting three on target, compared to just 0.5 for Juventus, who tested Daphne van Domselaar the same amount of times.
Slegers was impressed by her side's resilience as they pushed to come away with all three points.
"It's surreal to be honest," Slegers said post-match. "I never felt we would get into this situation. We have done really well.
"I was part of Jonas [Eidevall's] staff and there was so much that was built during his time. I don't want to separate that. There is so much we are still building on. It's surreal in so many ways but we are very happy.
"I'm just happy for the team to win. Obviously, we have amazing depth in the squad, and we know anyone can do it for us - whether it's starting players or finishing players.
"It's the visualisation of how much everyone contributes in the team. I think that's what it means for us."
Slegers took over as interim manager following Jonas Eidevall's departure last month and has gone unbeaten in her first seven games, winning six and drawing one.
They have won each of their last five in all competitions, and have not conceded a goal in their previous four matches.
"It was just a very impressive block of the team," Slegers said. "We conceded only one goal during this whole block, so defensively very solid.
"The players have been stepping up big time, they've been owning this; we tried to relay it back to them all the time, so giving them the ownership.
"I'm just very happy with how the block has been, different challenges along the way, so all games have asked something different from us. We've responded to that really well, sticking to our identity but also playing the game that's ahead of us."
Arsenal qualifying for Champions League quarter-finals feel surreal, says Slegers
Renee Slegers says it feels "surreal" that Arsenal have secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with two games to spare.
The Gunners will finish at least second in Group C after Lina Hurtig's late strike secured a 1-0 win over Juventus on Thursday.
What looked to be a frustrating encounter was turned around by Slegers' substitutions, and after missing a glorious chance, Hurtig was eventually the difference at the Emirates.
Arsenal created 3.69 expected goals (xG) from their nine shots, getting three on target, compared to just 0.5 for Juventus, who tested Daphne van Domselaar the same amount of times.
Slegers was impressed by her side's resilience as they pushed to come away with all three points.
"It's surreal to be honest," Slegers said post-match. "I never felt we would get into this situation. We have done really well.
"I was part of Jonas [Eidevall's] staff and there was so much that was built during his time. I don't want to separate that. There is so much we are still building on. It's surreal in so many ways but we are very happy.
"I'm just happy for the team to win. Obviously, we have amazing depth in the squad, and we know anyone can do it for us - whether it's starting players or finishing players.
"It's the visualisation of how much everyone contributes in the team. I think that's what it means for us."
Slegers took over as interim manager following Jonas Eidevall's departure last month and has gone unbeaten in her first seven games, winning six and drawing one.
They have won each of their last five in all competitions, and have not conceded a goal in their previous four matches.
"It was just a very impressive block of the team," Slegers said. "We conceded only one goal during this whole block, so defensively very solid.
"The players have been stepping up big time, they've been owning this; we tried to relay it back to them all the time, so giving them the ownership.
"I'm just very happy with how the block has been, different challenges along the way, so all games have asked something different from us. We've responded to that really well, sticking to our identity but also playing the game that's ahead of us."
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