Liverpool win nine points from six games to let Manchester United into a title race, but such a spell was "not unlikely", Jurgen Klopp said.
Jurgen Klopp acknowledged Liverpool are enduring a tough run but insisted performances have not been as bad as results suggest.
The defending Premier League champions are top of the table again but have won just two of their past six matches – and two of seven in all competitions.
Rivals Manchester United, who have a game in hand, have moved level on points with the Reds at the summit ahead of the two sides meeting next weekend.
"We were not waiting for [this run of form] and we do not enjoy it, but it's not unlikely that these kinds of things happen," Klopp told a news conference on Thursday.
"I think we only won two of the last six – that's not the standard we expect from ourselves, obviously.
"So, we don't take it easy, but we still see what we can improve, what we have to improve, and don't think everything was bad in the last few weeks.
"The league is too strong, and if you struggle a little bit, immediately the results go the other way because the opponents are fighting with everything they had. You saw that against Southampton [a 1-0 defeat on Monday]."
Liverpool must first focus on the FA Cup, however, with Aston Villa hosting Klopp's men in the third round on Friday.
Last season's run to round five was Liverpool's best under Klopp, with the Anfield outfit eliminated from four of their past six ties against fellow Premier League sides, only beating Everton (in 2018 and 2020) in this time.
The Reds had reached the semi-final in the final season before Klopp's appointment, losing to Villa in the last four to end a six-match winning run against Friday's opponents in the competition.
Despite his underwhelming record in the competition, the manager says Liverpool have always been determined to succeed.
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