Jürgen Klopp dismissed talk of Liverpool being contenders for the Premier League title as he declared that they haven't played even close to their best so far this season.
The Reds boss believes there are "a lot of things" that his side can yet improve, despite their 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion putting them on the same points as Arsenal and leaders Manchester City.
Klopp 'not interested' in talk of title challenge
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of his team's EFL Cup fourth-round clash with Tottenham Hotspur, Klopp declared: "I don't care. I don't recognise what other people are saying about us.
"It's normal in football that when you are in a good position, people start talking a bit more positively. I recognise the mood. I feel it around the club and it's good."
The manager rued that "unfortunately" it is "still October" and there is "a long way to go" in the season, as he hoped that similar questions can be asked at his press conferences "for the whole season" but that, at the minute, he is "not interested" and there is "nothing to say."
He insisted that Liverpool's season has been "good until now" and "not more", imploring his team to "carry on" in the same fashion.
German boss says Reds are 'on the right way'
Klopp is steadfast in his belief that his team can still improve although they sit on the same points as Premier League leaders Manchester City with 20.
He vowed that Liverpool "need to get better" and that "nothing" they have done until this point has "come close to 100 per-cent" - adding: "In most of the games we've been good enough to win and sometimes a little bit better, but nobody in the dressing room feels that it's not possible for us to play better."
He insisted that his team "need to stay in the race" and "need to stay concentrated" as he spoke about the importance of getting "better" and getting "closer to this 100 per-cent" level of performance.
The Reds boss declared that his team were "far away from the rhythm" in the first-half of their win at Swansea City while saying that they weren't "good" against Burnley or Manchester United.
He acknowledged that people said "the last 10 minutes against West Brom could have been" and said that "it could have been" but insisted: "My job is to use the qualities of the players and show them the right way. We are on the right way."
'Reds can still attack and defend better'
Klopp noted that they must "accept a few things that don't work" and also that "there are a lot of things to think about" throughout the course of the campaign, but insisted it is "good" that they have another fixture immediately against "a really strong opponent."
He continued that he isn't quite sure where Liverpool "are" but insisted that they "are not on halfway" and so have "a lot of things to do better."
"We can defend better, we can attack better, we can create better, we can have a better balance in the game," Klopp insisted. "There are a lof of things to improve. It's no problem, that's the job."