Tim Sherwood defended his young players after his Aston Villa side went down 3-2 at Liverpool.
Rudy Gestede's brace was not enough to earn a point as a Daniel Sturridge double and James Milner's opener reduced the pressure on Brendan Rodgers.
Sherwood's young squad have taken only four points from their seven Premier League games but the Villa manager said he expected an inconsistent start to the season.
"I'm not saying that now, after seven games, in hindsight it was a young group of players," he said.
"The club decided that it was the best way to go forward, that's the way we wanted to go, to acquire the young players.
"We are very privileged to have the opportunity to work with them, but it comes with its ups and downs. I know that and everyone can see that now."
Villa have lost three Premier League matches in a row but they beat rivals Birmingham City 1-0 in the League Cup on Tuesday.
"A lot of these players need to settle into the country and into the Premier League," he added.
"It does take time. I think we deserve to have more points on the board than we actually have, but we have to take that on the chin and we have to look to the next game.
"We can't get too despondent with it. We are very disappointed obviously, to come to Liverpool and score two goals and come away with nothing, but we have to look forward now."
