The Reds meet Aston Villa this weekend as Premier League leaders.
Slot said, "I'm not trying to manage expectations with the squad because we don't talk about expectations. The only expectation I have is that they put in the same effort every day. The only expectation is that they work as hard as they can.
"With that, normally results come as well. I'm not asking them to win every game but effort on a daily basis is the only thing we focus on.
"I don't think surprise is the right word to use because I knew the quality of our team. But quality is one thing and consistency is another. I am not surprised because I saw the energy my players put in on a daily basis.
"Sometimes a bit of luck comes with that us as well. Most of our results were deserved but some have been a close call. In general, I'm not surprised because of the quality that was in the team and when I started working with them I saw how much effort they put in to get these results."
On Villa, he added: "Unai Emery has played in a similar style for years now. It is almost always the same formation but sometimes depends on the players.
"His idea about football has been the same always. If you ask me now if I expect Unai to change a lot, I would not expect that. In terms of personnel, he may change a bit, but it's always been a 4-4-2 that he's been playing for many years now."