Arne Slot insisted he was not feeling any extra weight of expectation despite the commanding position his Liverpool side have built at the top of the Premier League table.
A 3-1 win over Leicester on Boxing Day saw Liverpool open up a seven-point gap prior to Arsenal’s match against Ipswich on Friday and their imperious form – Slot’s side have still only lost one league game all season – has made them clear favourites for the title in his first season in charge.
They showed their resilience again against Leicester, coming from behind after Jordan Ayew scored six minutes in, with goals from Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah turning it around.
But asked if their position in the table brought extra pressure, Slot said: “You’re sitting in front of the Liverpool manager, so there is always pressure at this club.
“If we are one, two, three, four or five in the table, if you work at a big club like Liverpool, there is always pressure…
“It’s not so strange for a club like us to be top of the league but we know how many good teams there are in this league and they are able to win almost every game as well. So there’s no extra pressure, there is always pressure if you work at a club like Liverpool.”
Salah’s goal was his 19th of the season. With no new contract yet agreed, the 32-year-old is free to speak to overseas clubs about a free transfer from next week.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk are in the same position and Slot reiterated he had no update regarding the futures of any of the three players.
“If we would, then it’s probably not the moment to tell you now,” he said. “In general, I don’t talk about contract situations here. It would be a surprise if I was the one to announce that one of them have extended.
“Keep asking, that’s your job but you’re probably not going to get an answer from me.
“It’s clear that from 1 January, maybe for you guys, things change a lot but they are in constant talks with the club and let’s wait and see what happens.
“As long as they keep performing like this, the head coach is happy.”
While Slot keeps his cards close, there is a growing expectation that Van Dijk, 33, will sign a new deal. Slot made clear how important his fellow Dutchman is to Liverpool on and off the pitch.
“I can only tell you about my experiences of him and it is not only what you see – because you see all the games and he is outstanding during the games – but he has such a big impact during training sessions as well,” Slot said.
“He is the vocal leader of the team and every time we start an exercise he is on top of his team-mates and he leads by example. So, for me, he has been outstanding until now and we can only hope he can continue showing this during the games and the training sessions as long as he is with us.”
Slot will be without the suspended Dominik Szoboszlai for Sunday’s trip to West Ham after he picked up his fifth booking of the season against Leicester.
Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley remain out injured for the Reds’ final fixture of 2024 but could come into contention for the home clash with rivals Manchester United on January 5.