Arne Slot admits Champions League qualification should not be viewed as a "step forward" for Liverpool, but he is under no illusions as to the importance of sealing a top-five Premier League finish.
Liverpool face rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, when they could, depending on Saturday's results, confirm their spot in UEFA's premier club competition for next season.
The Reds started 2025-26 with far loftier ambitions, though, having spent over £400m to bolster their title-winning squad with several big-money signings, including Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.
And while Slot does not believe a top-five finish is something for last season's champions to celebrate, he is also aware that falling short would be a major problem.
"I wouldn't say it's a step forward, but it's the right step to make. We know how important it is to qualify for the Champions League, for any club, but definitely for our club," Slot said.
"It's an important step; it's definitely not a step backwards. I think we can be on a much higher level than we are now.
"If you simply look at the results, then we can be very positive. It's three wins out of three, but performance-wise, I don't think it has been our three best performances of the season.
"We've shown already that we can play much better, but in many of these games we were very unlucky with the outcomes.
"In the last three games, I wouldn't say we did not deserve to win, but we were more lucky than we've ever been this season."
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 1, 2026
Liverpool have won their last three Premier League games, against Fulham, Everton and Crystal Palace. Their only longer winning run this season came when they won their opening five matches, though they have only won one of their last 12 games against sides starting the day in the top three (D7 L4).
And Slot knows even a victory over United would not be enough to quiet his critics, with his long-term future at Anfield becoming a subject of debate among supporters.
"Every week we need to prove ourselves, not only for the players, but for me as well," he said.
"That is not only when we play United, but also when we play Fulham or Palace. That is the way our lives are.
"We have to prove ourselves every three days, and people judge us every three days. That is completely fair; we know this when we go into the job.
"I think it is for you guys to judge if I have been too harshly judged by many people. That's not up to me.
"I judge my players, if they play well, if they are working hard and executing tactics. I'm not in this job to judge whether I'm criticised too harshly, that's not the way I spend my time."
Liverpool won 3-0 at Old Trafford last season, so Slot has a chance to become the first-ever Liverpool manager to win his first two away league games against United.
However, United have won the third-most home points in the Premier League this season (36), whereas last term, they were 14th in the home table with 24 points.
The Red Devils have won six of their last seven at Old Trafford, losing the other to Leeds United.