(Reuters) – Liverpool boss Arne Slot is not surprised by his team’s fine start to the season, saying he was well aware of the strength of the side he was inheriting when he arrived at Anfield as Juergen Klopp’s successor.
Slot’s team, who have won 14 of 16 games across all competitions since he took charge, look to remain top of the Premier League table when they host Aston Villa on Saturday. Liverpool have a two-point lead over holders Manchester City.
They also top the Champions League table as the only team with four wins in four games.
“I don’t think surprise is the right word to use because I knew the quality of our team,” Slot told reporters on Friday. “But quality is one thing and consistency is another. I am not surprised because I saw the energy my players put in on a daily basis.
“Sometimes a bit of luck comes with that as well. Most of our results were deserved but some have been a close call,” he added. “(Also) when I started working with them I saw how much effort they put in to get these results.”
Slot does not expect forward Diogo Jota, who has not played since Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Oct. 20 due to injury, to return until after the international break, but would not divulge any details about his injury, saying: “There is privacy about this.
“He will be back one or two games after the international break.”
Curtis Jones, who was named in interim England manager Lee Carsley’s squad for the upcoming international break, has shone for Liverpool in recent weeks, playing a sumptuous through ball for Luis Diaz to score in Tuesday’s 4-0 Champions League rout of Bayer Leverkusen.
Slot said Jones has taken his game to another level since the birth of his daughter Giselle on Oct. 13.
“Since the moment he became a father, he started putting great performances in,” Slot said.
“He has a lot of qualities on the ball, when he has it he’s never afraid to do something special,” the Dutchman added. “Sometimes he is a bit too over-confident but confidence is important. He also has an incredibly high work-rate and we can trust him defensively.”
Carsley included Jones in his previous two England squads but he has yet to make a senior appearance for his country. That could change when they travel to Athens to take on Greece on Thursday. England host Ireland three days later at Wembley.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Toby Davis)
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