He insisted that the current narrative is misleading and that his side remain capable of rescuing an underwhelming campaign.

A dismal defeat to Manchester City a fortnight ago plunged Liverpool into eighth place, leaving them eight points adrift of leaders Arsenal and marking their lowest league position since April 2023.

The loss at the Etihad also continued a grim run of form, with Liverpool having dropped five of their past six league matches - a tally equal to the number of defeats suffered in their previous 49 Premier League outings combined.

Despite the mounting pressure, Slot maintains that the team’s struggles do not reflect their true level, arguing that Liverpool’s performances have often been better than their results suggest.

He remains convinced that improvement is achievable, even as he grapples with significant selection issues.

The squad, rebuilt at a cost of 450 million pounds over the off-season, has been hit by injuries at a particularly inconvenient moment.

Conor Bradley and Florian Wirtz are both sidelined, limiting Slot’s options as Liverpool prepare to return to action at Anfield this afternoon against Nottingham Forest.

"We can improve as a team and we will improve definitely as individuals because players will be adapted to the league much better," said Slot.

"We have to make sure we are still challenging for the things we want to challenge for. We therefore need wins but I am 100% convinced that where we are now is not as bad people say.

"Because we made so many changes in the summer, the team performance and individual performance has a lot of room for improvement. That was my main message to the players this time.

"Players like Milos Kerkez for example need to get used to three games every week and we have to get used to each other.

"If that happens and we are going to do some basic things a little bit better than we are doing now, then there is a lot to expect for us in the upcoming months."

Nedbank Cup Round of 32 draw