Enzo Maresca has revealed that his Chelsea side will give a guard of honour when they host newly-crowned Premier League Liverpool on Sunday at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool clinched a record-equalling 20th English top-flight crown last weekend when they stretched their point-gap over second-placed Arsenal to 15 points with four games left to execute.
Although, no rule or duty states clubs must give a guard of honour to the champions, Maresca insisted his players would line up to make welcome the Reds in Sunday’s clash.
“I think it’s a tradition, it’s something you have to do and we want to do. First of all, they won the league, so they deserve that, and hopefully we can be there [as champions] very soon,” Maresca said to the media.
“I don’t think we need that to understand how good it is to win the Premier League. We know that it’s something very nice.”But for sure when you are there, probably in their mind [the players] are thinking ‘I would like one day to be there’.”
Liverpool’s players will be allowed to shake their opponents’ hands after they were barred following their last title win in 2020 due to coronavirus restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Then Liverpool had won the title with seven games left and every team they faced until the end of the season — Manchester City, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle United — gave them a guard of honour.Chelsea also gave Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City a guard of honour in 2023.
The Blues are on a mission to finish in the top-five and qualify for the Champions League and the London club were handed a huge boost when Nottingham Forest – level with the London side on 60 points – lost on Thursday to Brentford.
Despite sealing the title, Maresca opposes the fact that Liverpool will take their foot off the gas.
“It’s always nice to play in this kind of game, but I don’t think they will be any different or relaxed because they have already won the title,” he continued.
“They are a very good team and deserved to win the Premier League this season. The gap is there, you can see clearly. My feeling is we are in the right direction and hopefully this gap can be smaller and closer next season.
“Perhaps the difference [between the two teams] is that they have probably been a lot more consistent compared to us over the entire season.”
