Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp shows frustration at defensive issues being blamed on not strengthening his back four in the summer
- Liverpool wanted to sign Southampton's Virgil van Dijk this past summer
- Their defence has been criticised for the 12 league goals they have shipped
- Jurgen Klopp believes his players are good enough to learn from their mistakes
- Liverpool host Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has spoken of his frustration of defensive issues being blamed on the club not strengthening in the summer.
Klopp has come under scrutiny in recent weeks for the way his side have conceded.
But he does not believe his failed pursuit of Southampton's Virgil van Dijk should be brought up each time Liverpool make a defensive error.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was speaking on Sky Sports on Friday night
Liverpool's pursuit of Southampton's Virgil van Dijk this past summer proved fruitless
He told Sky Sports: 'We are a good side but we have been speaking since the beginning of the season about how we didn't buy a defender in the summer. This becomes like a self-fulfilling prophecy because every mistake we make goes back to that.'
Liverpool host Manchester United in the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday.
United have won six out of their first seven Premier League matches. They have also scored 21 goals, with in-form Romelu Lukaku getting seven of those.
Former Liverpool defender joined Klopp to discuss his side's recent performances
Liverpool are seven points behind Jose Mourinho's side in the table, having lost one game and shipped 12 goals.
Klopp, however, believes his players are good enough to resolve their defensive problems.
He added: The boys know this, they don't feel the confidence. They are good enough but we always have to improve.
Liverpool drew 1-1 with Newcastle in their last league game before the international break
'We don't say it's a little bit of luck and this changes. The challenge for us is to stay confident and play football even when we don't get the results we want.
'We don't have to think too much about performance. We have to improve of course in defending our offensive situations. We are not being out-played, teams are not playing their way past us. It is counter-attacking [that has undone us] and we could have done better to stop this, especially at Newcastle. Most of the time, though, we do really well.'
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