Virgil van Dijk knows Liverpool still has a long way to go before it can claim the Premier League title - and with good reason.
The Reds will spend Christmas at the top of the table after a sensational start to the season, which has seen them claim 21 wins from 25 games in all competitions under Arne Slot. Having demolished Tottenham 6-3 on Sunday, they hold a four-point advantage over nearest rivals Chelsea, with Arsenal a point further back.
A win over Leicester on Boxing Day would mean Liverpool is guaranteed to go into 2025 in pole position in the title race. The Reds know more than most though that being top at this stage can mean very little come the end of the season.
Liverpool were top of the table at Christmas three times during Jurgen Klopp’s reign, but only managed to claim the title on one of those occasions. The other two times saw them miss out by a single point to Manchester City in 2018/19, while an injury crisis in 2020/21 contributed to them finishing third.
Van Dijk was of course involved in all three occasions of the Reds topping the festive table - although injury ruled him out for the majority of the latter of those seasons - and the Liverpool captain is not about to get ahead of himself this time.
"We want to be up there in May, but we have seen how difficult it is," Van Dijk told BBC Radio Merseyside. "We focus on what is next ahead of us and that's the only thing.
Liverpool sits four points clear at the top of the Premier League at Christmas
Liverpool sits four points clear at the top of the Premier League at Christmas
"I'm not getting dragged into talking about winning one, two, three or four trophies. It is all about each and every game ahead of us.
"We have only had one addition to the squad [since last season] and this group of players have been playing together for quite a long time. The experience and quality is there and I see it every day.
"There were question marks after Jurgen [Klopp] was replaced by Arne Slot but I had so much trust in my team.
"We are competing at the top of the Premier League so we have to stay consistent."
Liverpool will be aiming to strengthen their position at the top of the table against Leicester and West Ham before entering 2025. Meanwhile, the Reds will be hoping Fulham and Ipswich might be able to do them a favor against Chelsea, with Arsenal facing Ipswich and Brentford in their next couple of outings.