Houllier's men finished bottom of the Amsterdam tournament - just as they had done in their previous appearance at the prestigous pre-season event in 2001 - after an uninspiring 2-1 defeat at the hands of Turkish giants Galatasaray.
As disappointing as the tournament was for Liverpool fans who had arrived in Amsterdam with high hopes of success, the Reds boss insists that the below-par peformances of his players must be kept 'in perspective'.
Houllier said: "We will take this tournament in perspective. Yesterday was our fourth game in 10 days and over that period we have spent 30 hours travelling, flying from Manchester to London to Bangkok and Hong Kong and then to Amsterdam. The players have had to deal with a lot of travelling, a lot of training plus the heat in Bangkok and here.
"We have been not been focusing our preparations to this tournament. Everything is aimed towards the start of the new season. Some players need to get a bit more match fitness but they will be ready for the kick-off.
"We looked drained and tired yesterday but that is understandable. We are taking the game in context."
