Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp spoke to reporters ahead of the Reds' FA Cup third-round tie against Aston Villa on Friday.
The Reds will be looking to get their season back on track after two draws and a defeat in their last three games, with the Dean Smith's side lying in wait in the FA Cup.
Liverpool haven't fared well in the competition in recent years but it provides a good respite for the Reds, who have looked off the mark and lacking ideas in attack in recent weeks.
Klopp acknowledged his record in the competition is far from ideal, although he insisted it isn't from a lack of effort, but rather the difficulty of the fixtures during busy periods in the footballing calendar.
“It's important. It's the FA Cup, we didn't go far so far in that competition,” he said when asked on the importance of his side showing a response.
“I don't think we were blessed with sensational draws so far – and now we go to Aston Villa, which is a tough one as well!
“But we always took it very seriously, and do this time as well, but we cannot forget the intensity of the period we are in and all these kinds of things.
“It's important, like football games are important. We are professional football players, or coaches or managers, and the only thing you have to do, actually, is to win football games, and to try and make sure we really can do that.
“That's a very important competition, so we will try to win that.”
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The boss also offered an update on the likes of Naby Keita, Joel Matip and Diogo Jota, ruling the trio out of the trip to the West Midlands.
Keita, who hasn't featured since playing a prominent role in the 7-0 rout of Crystal Palace, continues to be missing from action after picking up a muscular knock and the midfielder is set to be back "soon" but "not for the Villa game."
Similarly, Joel Matip is "in a good way" but Klopp is uncertain whether the centre-back will be back in action against Manchester United just over a week's time.
Klopp said: “Yes, we will try working on that obviously. Until the United game we still have nine days around about, so we try.
“He is in a good way but if it will be United or a few days later, I don't know. After the United game we will obviously play every three days again, so I think that's pretty sure, but for the United game, we will see.”
Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images
The boss was even less certain on the return of summer arrival Jota, with Klopp revealing the Portuguese is "still wearing a brace" after picking up a knee injury at the start of December.
The boss explained: “It will still take time, he is still wearing a brace, so that means he is still a few weeks away from team training.
“There is nothing really to say, it takes time. There was no surgery needed, which was good, but it was a proper injury.
“It is not a little knock or something; no, no, and it will still take time. There is no real timeframe there.”
Meanwhile, much has been made of Liverpool's reluctance to dip in the transfer market following long-term injuries to Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk, in addition to the niggling knocks picked up by Matip.
While Klopp admitted under usual circumstances he would have swooped into the transfer market, the Reds boss played down the possibility of Liverpool making a move as he cited the need to act responsibly during the coronavirus pandemic.
“No, I cannot say definitely we will not bring anyone in, it's just not likely because of the situation in the world,” the boss said.
“We should not forget that the situation is a tough one for all people and for football clubs as well. There might be, I don't know, some clubs with absolutely no financial - and I don't want to use the wrong word because then you make a big fuss of it - problems. But this club always was - and will always be with these owners, for sure - just very responsible with the things we do.
“So, if the world would be in a ‘normal' place, let me say it like this, everything would be fine: we won the league, won the Champions League, the club is in the best possible situation and then you have three senior centre-halves plus Fabinho plus kids, and the three senior centre-halves are all injured - is that a situation where usually we would do something? Yes, definitely.
“But we are not in that situation so I don't know if something will happen or not. What I said about it, you maybe could do something but it would be kind of a short-term solution - and we don't have that short-term solution - but that's not right because it doesn't help really.
“Then we have to deal with the situation how we did it so far and have to get through this. It's not the best moment for the whole planet, so why should it be for a football club?”
Watch everything the boss had to say during his pre-Villa press conference above.
