Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Chelsea will uphold tradition and give Liverpool a guard of honour after the Reds secured the Premier League title last weekend.
In the English game, the guard of honour dates back to 1955, when Man United provided one for Chelsea after they won the league with a game to spare.
Chelsea will uphold the tradition at Stamford Bridge ahead of kick-off, as should Arsenal, Brighton and Crystal Palace in the following fixtures.
“It’s tradition. We have to do that, and we are going to do that,” Maresca said.
“They won the Premier League, so they deserve it.”
He also noted how it could provide motivation for his players, saying: “I don’t think we need to give a guard of honour 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 standing there, probably in their minds our players are thinking, ‘I would like one day to be there’.”
“Next season will be better”
There are currently 22 points between Liverpool and fifth-place Chelsea. Earlier in the season, however, the Londoners were tipped to challenge Arne Slot‘s side.
At Christmas, there were just four points between the teams, but dropped points in 10 matches have seen them fall away below Arsenal, Man City and Newcastle.
Maresca commented: “In terms of the gap between us and Liverpool, it is there, you can see this clearly.
“My feeling is we are [moving] in the right direction and hopefully this gap can be smaller and smaller.
“The difference is they have been consistent compared to us. For part of the season we were very good, and then we lost some games.
“This has probably been the main reason why the gap is there – 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.”
“For sure, if you want to close the gap with these kind of clubs then you have to do things (like adding experience). Our team next season will be better in terms of experience because this season has been one more year together.”
While Chelsea may well improve next season, so should their rivals. They do have the advantage, though, of being able to spend seemingly endless amounts on transfer fees with few short-term repercussions.
