Arne Slot plays down Liverpool's rise to top of Premier League as he shares squad's view

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has downplayed his team’s early rise to the top of the Premier League, claiming it doesn’t provide a “realistic view” of the table.

Despite the departure of Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have enjoyed a great start under Slot and have soared to the league’s summit following a 2-1 victory over Wolves – with Ibrahima Konate and Mohamed Salah netting goals to mark their fifth win in six matches.

The only setback came with a loss to Nottingham Forest two weeks prior, but further triumphs in both the Champions League and Carabao Cup signal a very promising start to Slot’s tenure.

While early indicators point to Liverpool being title contenders alongside Man City and Arsenal, Slot is urging restraint, believing the league table will take true form about half the season in.

Slot said” “Everyone is realistic enough, all the players they understand that six games into the season doesn’t give you a realistic view on the league table. That is more like 19 games that you can feel, ‘Right, where are we?’.

“But it helps if you get some good results, especially if you bring in a new manager and being a successor of such a successful one. Everybody understands that if we’d have lost four or five of these first six fixtures life would have been a bit different to how it is now.”

Looking ahead, Slot anticipates tougher days ahead, referencing the difficult early-season fixtures faced by teams like Wolves. “We still have to prove that if we come across Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea and Aston Villa if we can still be up there, with Champions League games included as well.

“I don’t think it’s necessary for me to convince the players for the challenges we still face. To play in the Champions League and then play Arsenal and Aston Villa and all the top teams we are going to face after the next international break.

“For us there is a lot to prove, especially if you look at the season two years ago and it is almost completely the same group.”

Despite matching Liverpool at moments during the match, Wolves continue their quest for a first win this season. Manager Gary O’Neil expressed a mix of frustration and pride: “In terms of the team going toe to toe with one of the biggest clubs in the country and giving them a real run and showing what we are, I was proud of what the lads gave.

“We deserve to be on more than one point from six games, but that is the nature of the Premier League. It was a performance that the lads should be proud of. We need to keep going, they have suffered a lot over the last six games and we will be ready to go again.

“We need to make sure we put some results on the board, I understand that and the lads understand. Things haven’t gone as we would have wanted them but there is a real belief that we can maximise what we can achieve this season.”