Former Manchester United skipper Roy Keane has disagreed with his former teammate Rio Ferdinand about Chelsea and Arsenal giving Liverpool a guard of honor.
Following their rampant 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last time out at Anfield, Liverpool wrapped up the Premier League title with four games to spare. Their first game since winning the title will see the Reds face off against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with Enzo Maresca’s side set to give Liverpool a guard of honor prior to kick-off.
It is also presumed Arsenal, the team Liverpool play the following weekend at Anfield, will give the Reds a guard of honor in their first home game since winning the title, although it is not clear if this is a certainty.
However, former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, and ex-Man United defender Rio Ferdinand admitted they were not fans of the tradition.
“I don’t like it,” Peter Crouch said on TNT Sports during their coverage of Aston Villa and Fulham’s Saturday clash.
The ex-Liverpool striker added: “I don’t know… Maybe it shows respect, but I think it’s a bit embarrassing for the team that comes out and it’s highly embarrassing for the team that is clapping them on the field. It’s not for me.”
Ferdinand added: “I didn’t like it.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to receive a guard of honor and be on the receiving end of it, and both are quite awkward. Crouchy is exactly right.”
However, Keane, speaking on Sky Sports, disagreed with both Crouch and his former teammate. “Do you know what, I think in the game, to get respect, you have to show respect,” said Keane, whilst the broadcaster showed footage of Man United giving Chelsea a guard of honor back in 2005.
“People might not like it, obviously it’s nice when you get it, but you have to give it. It’s part of the game. It’ll be different if it were real rivals, just say maybe Man City against United or Everton versus Liverpool but I think you have to do it. It’s part of the game.
“It’s the respect and yeah, a nice touch. Chelsea obviously deserved it [in 2005]. And as I said, to get respect, you have to show it. It works both ways.”
On Friday, Maresca confirmed Chelsea would honor the Reds. “It’s tradition,” the Italian said during his pre-match press conference on Friday. “We have to do that, and we are going to do that. They won the Premier League, so they deserve it.”
