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Peter Crouch and Rio Ferdinand have both hit out at the guard of honour tradition for the Premier League champions, with the former Liverpool striker calling it ‘embarrassing’.

The Reds clinched the title last weekend by thrashing Tottenham Hotspur 5-1, and are due to be applauded by the opposition as they take to the field in their final four matches as a result.

Arne Slot’s men will receive their first guard of honour away at Chelsea on Sunday, with Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace expected to follow suit in Liverpool’s remaining matches.

But despite the guard of honour being a long-held tradition in English football, both Crouch and Ferdinand have voiced their opposition to it ahead of the Reds’ first match as champions.

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"I don't like it," former Liverpool striker Crouch said on TNT Sports during the channel's coverage of Aston Villa vs Fulham.

"I don't know...

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Regardless of such feeling, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has already confirmed that the London outfit will respect the tradition when they host Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

"It’s tradition," the Spaniard said during his pre-match press conference on Friday.

They won the Premier League, so they deserve it.

"I don’t think we need to give a guard of honour to understand how good it is to win the Premier League.

And also in terms of experienced players who know how to win games and these kinds of things, I think they have something more compared to us."

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Chelsea gave Liverpool a guard of honour the last time they won the Premier League back in 2020, with the Reds hosting the Londoners the night they were presented with the trophy - though that took place behind closed doors during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Liverpool previously gave Chelsea guard of honour at Stamford Bridge in May 2015 after Jose Mourinho’s side won the title.


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