Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has vowed he still has the desire to turn the tide on the Reds' recent fortunes as they languish 15 points behind league-leaders Arsenal.
It has been a miserable start to the season over at Anfield, with Klopp overseeing a return of just four wins from their opening 12 league fixtures. Liverpool have managed to seal their place in the Champions League knockout stages, but are likely to finish runners-up in their group behind Tuesday night's opponents Napoli.
Klopp has explained talk of how Liverpool's success coming to a natural end is premature and that he is not phased by the increasing amount of criticism surrounding the job he has done so far this term.
"My job is not only being here in the moment when the sun is shining and someone gives us a trophy," the Reds manager explained. "My job is also to be here when we are in a really rough period and I will do that, with all I have, and if possible even more — 100 per cent."
Klopp made sure to point out that he is no mood for excuses, even if others will try to make them for him.
"Everything will be judged on me now and that is absolutely fine. When people look at me, they will say he looks tired. That is normal. But I am not. I cannot give that excuse"
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Klopp also revealed he has no intention of contemplating his future even if the Reds suffer another defeat against Napoli this week. The two sides face off at Anfield just under a month after the Serie A titans battered Liverpool 4-1 in Naples on match-day one.
"I think the judgment for this will be later in the season,’ said Klopp. ‘Or, maybe, it will be at the end of the season where we say, 'OK, obviously now that is it for this group of players... for this manager if you want'.
"The question will be asked then but, in the moment, it is not 100 per cent fair to judge the team because we never had them all available. Especially now up front, top quality players, which isn’t helpful.
"That doesn’t mean the others are not top quality but with the number of games we had we would usually make changes and we can’t do that. It is a very similar situation in midfield for a long time. We had it pretty much everywhere."
The Reds have four games across three different competitions before the season is paused for the World Cup. Napoli's visit of Anfield comes first, before Liverpool travel to Tottenham on Sunday evening.
Home clashes against Derby County in the League Cup and another league fixture at Anfield against Southampton mark the last two fixtures before players head to Qatar.
