Jurgen Klopp believes consistency and mentality, not transfers, were the difference between Liverpool and their rivals in the title race this season.
Chelsea have already signed Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, while Manchester City and Manchester United are expected to be active this summer.
But Klopp insists Liverpool's success next season will not hinge on them keeping up with their rivals in the transfer market.
Speaking before facing the Blues on Wednesday, Klopp said: "The main difference between us and other teams this year has been consistency. You saw how tight the game was when we won away at Chelsea 2-1. Now they are 30 points behind us, but there is not a 30-point gap on the pitch on a daily basis when we play each other.
"They can really play football and could have won that game as well. But my boys were resilient like mad, they put absolutely everything into the game and that was the difference. I don't know if you can buy that in the transfer market.
"We had to build this as well, that needed time obviously. It's not about spending, it's about having the right team for the next season but always based on your own situation.
"We cannot buy just because other teams buy, we cannot buy because everybody wants us to. We can buy if we have the money for it, if we have the need for it, all that stuff. Then, we will be there. If one of these things is not there, then we will not. We will go again and will not use it as an excuse.
"Imagine last year when we had 97 points, all of you (the media)... what would have been your recommendation to me? Who should we bring in to have a chance to close the one-point gap to City? There would have been a lot of recommendations out there, for sure.
"But we didn't [buy anyone], and you saw what happened.
"We will have a lot of tests next year, 100 per cent, like we had this year and the year before. We have to make sure that we are ready for that.
"Some of these things can be decided maybe in the transfer market but for sure not all of them."
