Jurgen Klopp has acknowledged that Liverpool have "not been perfect" this term, but is happy with the way his side have proved many of their critics wrong since their early-season loss to Burnley.
The Reds have a chance to exact revenge on Sunday afternoon when facing the Clarets at Anfield, eight months on from a shock 2-0 defeat in Lancashire in the opening fortnight of the campaign.
Liverpool followed up that defeat with an impressive run of form, as they lost just one of their next 19 Premier League games to move into second place in the table at the turn of the year.
A failure to sustain that run since January has seen the Merseyside outfit slip well out of the title picture and now in a battle to claim a top-four spot, but Klopp believes that the progress has been clear for all to see.
"I think what happened after we played Burnley at Turf Moor back at the start of the season demonstrates the progress we have made, as a team and club. We were well beaten that day 2-0 and Burnley deserved to win," he is quoted as saying by the club's official website. "But it was the response to that defeat that shows our progress and even though this progress hasn't been perfect, it has been real and significant.
"There was a lot of early criticism and analysis and maybe conclusions reached after that defeat. Our response was to go 15 matches unbeaten in all competitions. It showed a toughness and character that many had questioned whether we possessed. As I have said recently, we allow those questions to resurface when we don't perform, so it's on us.
"We had those questions again after Leicester – caused by ourselves. We have given one answer – against Arsenal. But one answer isn't enough. We need to do what we did after losing to Burnley earlier in the season. Turn one result into two and build and build.
"Of the 15 games we went unbeaten in that run, 11 of those were Premier League games. There is an opportunity to match and better that between now and the end of the season. We have exactly 11 matches remaining. Although the focus is on one game and one game only - against Burnley today."
Liverpool have lost only once at home all season in the top flight, while Burnley have picked up just two points on their travels.
Daniel Lewis
