Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has admitted a tough season has made it difficult to raise the spirits of the squad on occasions when his side have lost. The 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday was their 10th in the Barclays Premier League - eight more than in the whole of the previous campaign.
A series of draining results over the campaign have had an effect on the players' morale.
"We were not doing well at the beginning [of the season] and we lost a bit of confidence because we couldn't be contenders but you cannot change what has happened in the past," said Benitez.
"If you analyse some games we were so close to winning and we lost and in the head of everyone it is not easy to manage.
"That small difference often means you lose three points or win three points."
Losing two of their opening three league matches sowed the seeds of doubt early on in the campaign and incidents such as the "beach ball goal" at Sunderland - and all those late concessions - have only added to the sense of foreboding.
"In two or three games you concede the gap is too big and then you cannot [change this] and you lose your confidence and that has been the situation this year," added Benitez, who has had to deal with injuries to influential trio Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun.
"This season has been very difficult because expectation was too high and once we lost one or two games it was more difficult mentally for everyone.
"We have had too many injuries to important players but if you put all these players together and are fully fit we play much better.
"We have to keep our confidence and energy and try to do our best until the end."
