Liverpool have already been crowned Premier League champions this season, making head coach Arne Slot’s debut season a major success.
Liverpool bagged the title with four games to spare with a 5-1 over Tottenham at Anfield.
Liverpool then faced Chelsea in the Premier League on May 4, and before kick-off, the Blues gave them a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge. The match ended in a 3-1 win for the hosts.
Traditionally, the Reds would be expected to receive guards of honour in the remaining three league games. Liverpool will be playing against Arsenal in the next match, which is slated for May 11.
However, former English striker Troy Deeney has urged Arsenal to deny Liverpool the guard of honour this Sunday.
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What did Troy Deeney say about ‘the guard of honour’?
Deeney, who was most recently player-manager of Forest Green Rovers, shared his thoughts on clubs giving the guard of honour to the champions ahead of the match at Stamford Bridge last Sunday. While speaking to The Sun, he candidly mentioned that he does not understand the tradition and labelled it as ‘humiliation.’
“Chelsea will give Liverpool a ‘guard of honour’ before tomorrow’s Premier League match at Stamford Bridge. And next weekend, presumably, Arsenal will do the same. But like so many other things in modern football, it’s something I will never understand,” he said.
“Frankly, I think it’s a load of old b*****ks. It’s not so much a mark of respect as a humiliation for the team lining up to give the champions a little clap. It’s as if Chelsea and Arsenal and everyone who plays the champs for the rest of the season, is saying, ‘Well done, we’re perfectly happy you beat us,'” added Deeney.
Deeney recalled his own playing experience, claiming that if he was never in a position where he would have to give a guard of honour to any opposition, the 36-year-old would have ‘refused point-blank.’ He further added that Arsenal ‘should do’ the same and stop being ‘Mr Nice Guys.’
“When my Watford team lost an FA Cup final to Manchester City, we had to stand and clap while they got their medals. But that’s after the match, that’s fair enough. I was never in a position where I was expected to be part of a ‘guard of honour,'” said Deeney.
“During my top-flight days, Watford never played against a team who had already been confirmed as champions. But if I had been in that situation, I’d have refused point-blank. That’s what Arsenal, Liverpool’s nearest challengers this season, should do next Sunday. That would really set down a marker for next season. No more Mr Nice Guys,” he concluded.
While Deeney has made his feelings clear on this, it remains to be seen if Arteta & Co. give Liverpool the ‘guard of honour,’ or decide against it on Sunday, at Anfield.
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