Arsenal travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the Premier League.
The Gunners are hurting after crashing out of the Champions League on Wednesday. Mikel Arteta claimed that Arsenal were the better side, but it is PSG who are through to the final.
This is really painful for everyone associated with the club, especially after Liverpool comfortably beat them to the Premier League title.
Now, on Sunday, Arsenal will have to go to Anfield and honour the champions.
Troy Deeney tells Arsenal not to give Liverpool a guard of honour
Liverpool are deservedly the champions of England.
Arsenal were many people’s pick to win the title after Manchester City’s struggles this season, but injuries ruined their campaign.
But, nothing can be taken away from Liverpool, who, under Arne Slot, have been better than every other club in the English top flight.
On Sunday, when Arsenal travel to Anfield, they are expected to give Liverpool a guard of honour, which has been the tradition in England for a long time.
Troy Deeney, however, believes the Gunners should flat-out refuse to do so. He thinks Arsenal can lay down a marker for next season by not giving Liverpool the guard of honour.
He wrote in The Sun: “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 is 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’.
“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’.
“During my top-flight days, Watford never played against a team who had already been confirmed as [Premier League] 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.”
What Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have said about giving a guard of honour
Applauding a team you’ve been fighting with as they walk onto the pitch will be painful, but it is a tradition that needs to be followed.
Arsenal are a classy club – they have always been. They have given a guard of honour in the past, and we expect them to do the same against Liverpool on Sunday.
Why? Arsene Wenger summed it up perfectly all the way back in 2013.
He said: “First of all, I’m French, I work in England. I want the English tradition to be respected.
“When you work somewhere abroad, you have to respect the culture of the country. That is part of the tradition of English football, and I want that to be respected.”
Sir Alex Ferguson hailed Wenger for that and said: “I am glad Arsene has done that. That is what great clubs should do.”
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