Andoni Iraola insisted he was taking it "one day at a time" when asked about the chances of Liverpool challenging for the Premier League title this season.
Iraola tempers Liverpool's title expectations ahead of huge Arsenal clash
Liverpool could find themselves three points behind Arsenal with a victory this Sunday, but Andoni Iraola was not getting carried away.
Iraola has made a strong start to life at Anfield since replacing Arne Slot this summer, with Liverpool sitting fourth in the standings ahead of facing Arsenal this weekend.
The Reds have also reached the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup after beating Chelsea on penalties in midweek, while they have won all three of their Champions League matches.
But many have tipped Liverpool to challenge Arsenal for the top-flight crown this season, and a win on Sunday would take them within three points of Mikel Arteta's side.
They have a manager in Iraola who has lost two of his 27 Premier League games in 2026 (W12 D13), one of which was at home to Arsenal in January as Bournemouth boss.
It is the lowest defeat percentage (7%) by a manager in a year (minimum 20 games) since Jurgen Klopp lost one of his 37 games in 2019 (3%), though Iraola refused to put Liverpool in the title conversation at this early stage of the season.
"It is still October. We take one day at a time," Iraola told reporters.
"I always say the first reference is when you've played against everybody once, so halfway through the season, and then you can start thinking about the standings and this stuff, but right now we are in a position where we need to improve and keep getting better.
"For the fans, it is good if they have expectations and think we can win, but if you ask me, I still think it's very early in the season."
Liverpool have a good record against Arsenal at Anfield in the Premier League. The Gunners are winless in their last 13 away Premier League games against Liverpool (D5 L8) since winning 2-0 in 2012-13.
They have, however, never gone 14 winless away at Anfield in their league history, also going 13 between 1975-76 and 1987-88, a run that was broken by their famous 2-0 final day victory in 1988-89 which secured the title.
But Liverpool have won one of their last eight Premier League games against Arsenal (D5 L2), a 1-0 home win last season, though Iraola has enjoyed success against them during his time with Bournemouth, winning three of his last four meetings against them.
"It is true that I do have good results with Bournemouth against them, but this doesn't mean a lot," Iraola added.
"This is a totally different team, a different group of players in a different moment. We cannot use the same things we used with Bournemouth against Arsenal. We have to use different tools, use our players as well as we can and trust them.
"In the end, it is going to be a matter of winning the duels, running more than them, winning the set-play mini-games and those sorts of things you have to control against Arsenal."
Iraola could also be handed a double injury boost for the visit of the Premier League champions, with the Spaniard confirming that both Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz "have a chance" to feature in Sunday's match.
