Arne Slott refuses to get carried away by Liverpool's away form as he believes the toughest games are yet to come.
Liverpool are unbeaten away from home this season in all competitions and have a seven-point lead over their Premier League rivals, although Arsenal can reduce that to six points with victory over Ipswich tonight.
The Reds have avoided defeat against Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham so far, but Slott believes that can partly be attributed to a good fixture list.
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Speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to West Ham, he said: “I think our form away from home has been good but maybe it has a bit to do with the teams you face in the first half of the season.
“So, I think basically we've played the teams in the top half of the table at home and the other teams we've faced away from home, so that might have something to do with it. We're strong away from home and at home as well.”
“I don't see any reason why we should be stronger there (at Anfield), (it's) something we can judge better at the end of the season when we play each team home and away, to see what suits us best.” . But I think we are a team that is as difficult to beat away from home as we are at home.
The pressure is always on at Liverpool – slot
Liverpool have had a fantastic run this season but Slott insists that does not increase the pressure on his players now that they are the team to beat.
“No, you are sitting in front of the Liverpool coach. “So, there is always pressure at this club, if you are one, two, three, four or five in the table,” he added.
“If you work at a big club like Liverpool, there's always pressure. I think last season was in the middle of the season, were they also number one? I think they were number one last season. So, it's not unusual for a team like us to be top of the league. But we know how many teams there are.” The good ones in this league, they are able to win almost every game as well.
“There is no extra pressure, there is always pressure if you work at a club like Liverpool.”
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Finally, he pays tribute to Captain Van Dyck
Liverpool will be without the suspended Dominik Szoboszlai at the London Stadium, but Virgil van Dijk is expected to lead the team.
The Netherlands international's contract expires at the end of the season – along with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold – and Sloat is a huge fan of his compatriot.
He said: “He was a fantastic player, a fantastic player for Liverpool for many years. Unfortunately for him, he was out injured for almost the whole season; that didn't help the football club at all, so maybe that tells you how influential he was here at this club.
“I can only tell you about my experience with him, and not only has he been there because of what you see – because you see him during the game and he's great during the game – but he has a huge influence in training sessions as well.
“He's the vocal leader of this team, every time we start practice he's on top of his teammates and leading by example. So, for me, he's been fantastic so far and we can only hope he continues to show that during games and in training sessions as long as he's with us.” .
