Marco Silva is taking confidence from seeing his side run Liverpool close over the past couple of seasons as he prepares to take Fulham to the league leaders on Saturday afternoon.

The Portuguese head coach readily accepts that this weekend’s trip to Anfield will be the toughest assignment of the season so far. He told his pre-match press conference at Motspur Park this afternoon:

“It’s the team in best form, definitely. They’re achieving the best results, and the impact from Arne Slot has been top. The most consistent team in this league so far. Really, really strong in any moment of the game, making life really difficult for any team that they play against. Great, in terms of the collective quality of the team, the impact of the manager, and, of course, the individual quality they have. I think everything together is the reason why they are on the top of the league.

In the Champions League, they won six out of six, and because of that, they deserve all the credit for the way they have been playing. It’s going to be the next one for us, a really tough game, but we have been responding well for these type of games so far this season.

Even against them last season, the games at Anfield were really tight games, and the team responded really well, and let’s hope we can have the same type of performance, but with a different result for us, if we can.”

Silva spoke highly of the outstanding job that Arne Slot has done since taking over from Jurgen Klopp at Melwood this summer.

“Okay, the expectations were there, all the eyes were there on him and on the team, how they were going to react after a big personality, a big character left the club, and was so important for the club the last nine years. He showed his quality so far, the impact that he’s had in that football club, on the players as well. You can feel that they are all on the same page as a football club.

When you are doing so well, achieving such good results and playing such good football in the Premier League, Champions League, of course credits for everybody. And, on the top, has to be the manager, and Arne Slot has been great for them, definitely.”