Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has confessed that his team will face its "toughest" test of the season so far as he issued a rally cry to his players ahead of the visit of in-form Chelsea.
The Reds currently lead the Premier League table at this early stage of the campaign following six wins from seven outings so far this term. A hard-fought win over Crystal Palace meant that Slot has won nine times already during the infancy of his tenure - the best record of any Liverpool boss at this stage in their reign in history.
However, the clash with the Blues this weekend represents a major test of the Dutchman's mettle, with the West Londoners currently fourth in the table. Their form under Enzo Maresca saw the Italian win the Manager of the Month prize for September as they went unbeaten last month.
Now, Slot has admitted that he is expecting Chelsea to present a stern challenge for his team as they look to continue their recent purple patch. One concern for the former Feyenoord coach will be the fact that the Reds fell to defeat upon the return from the last international break.
Looking ahead to the Chelsea game, he said of Liverpool's next opponents: "If you look at the table it is [the toughest challenge]. Man Utd is a top club and spent a lot, same for Chelsea in this season but they have done really well. League table, they are the toughest [so far] but it is not always about the table, we had some troubles at Wolves too, but it is a challenge, for sure.
Slot also issued some pointers to his players as he predicted that his team will need to maintain its recent defensive stability in order to prevail. Liverpool currently boasts the best record in the league in that regard, having conceded just twice so far this term. He said: "[It's] very important [to be good defensively].
"If you want to achieve something we need to be stable defensively, we have done that so far. Now we face even better players. Chelsea, like United , have a lot of great players and we have to control that as a team but we also have to create our own chances too. Good thing is we have players who can score. An interesting game on Sunday."
Meanwhile, the Merseysiders' head coach refused to be drawn into predictions about how the visitors may set up at Anfield this weekend. He added: "Not up to me to comment on their approach, they were successful in 2nd half of last season.
"If a team does that it is a good forecast for what you can expect the next season and they got some new players and a good manager in, so it is no surprise to see their results. A young team, is the first thing I see, on long-term contracts. Quality, criticism come in recent years but where they are now, they are a big threat for top 3 or 4 positions and they will be in the upcoming years."
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