Jurgen Klopp admits it will be “tough” for Liverpool to ensure their Champions League absence is brief after hopes of regaining the trophy were ended.
The Reds were held to a goalless draw by Real Madrid in their quarter-final second leg at Anfield on Wednesday to slip out 3-1 on aggregate.
Klopp’s side spurned a number of opportunities, particularly during a first half in which they dominated.
The sole focus is now on securing Champions League qualification for next season with Liverpool three points adrift of the top four with seven games remaining.
And the Reds boss said: “We are not silly. We want what we earn. If we don’t earn it 100% then we respect the situation.
“We concentrate on what we do and what we have to. It is tough, we are still not in hotseat and we play at Leeds United on Monday.
“That is a tough one, they are the most physical team in the Premier League pretty much so you better run a lot yourself.”
Asked if he was confident Liverpool can return to the Champions League next season, Klopp added: “It has nothing to do confidence. I am naturally confident but that doesn’t mean we will end up there.
“We know the points we have, we know the table, we know the situation. We don’t have to talk too much about it.
“If we want (the Champions League) then we should play really good football which we did tonight but if we want to go through we should finish the situations off on top of it.
“We are not in a bad moment. We played really well and got a late winner against Aston Villa, we played really good against Arsenal and not good against Real Madrid in first leg.
“But we were not bad tonight. We really have to keep going and keep fighting, we want the Champions League next year.
“But we have to pick up more points than a lot of other teams.”
