Virgil van Dijk insists he is not at all surprised by Liverpool's performances this season, with Arne Slot's side four points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand.
Asked if the players were surprised by their remarkable start to life under Slot after beating Tottenham 6-3, the Liverpool captain said: 'No. We have only had one addition to the squad (Federico Chiesa). This group of players has been playing together for a long time.
'The experience and quality is there. I see it every day. It is of course a surprise that it is such a big change with Jurgen (Klopp) being replaced by the new manager and there are always question marks, but I still had confidence in my team that we will at least be at the top of can compete in the Premier League. '
Liverpool will be top on Christmas Day but Van Dijk insisted they will not get carried away. Exactly half the time (in 16 out of 32 seasons) the Premier League's top team wins the title at Christmas.
'We've been there. We've done it before. We lost twice by small margins (against Man City),” he said. 'The key is to take it one match at a time. This (beating Spurs) was a big one.
'We won, but now the focus is on Leicester and then on to the next one and the next. To be at the top of the table at Christmas is nice for us and for all the Reds around the world, but we want to be there in May too.”
Asked about the potential of doing the Quadruple with Liverpool still playing in all four competitions, Van Dijk added: 'We're not thinking about what awaits in May. We want to be there in May, but we have seen how difficult it is.
Speaking about Mohamed Salah, who became Liverpool's fourth ever goalscorer with a brace on Sunday and the first Premier League player to reach double figures in goals and assists before Christmas, Van Dijk said: 'The numbers speak for themselves. He is a very special athlete.
“He has performed fantastically for the club and hopefully this can be his best ever season for the club, continuing to be important with his goals and assists and being clinical. We always need a full performance from him because all the defensive work he can do is very important for us as a last line, so he has to keep going and I think he will.”
Asked whether he thought Salah would give his all again next season with the Egyptian's contract situation still up in the air, Van Dijk said: “I don't know.”
About his own future, now that Van Dijk can talk to foreign clubs about a free transfer from January 1, the Dutch international said: 'There is no deadline. We'll see what the future brings. My focus now is on Leicester.”
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