Sir Alex Ferguson’s advice for Arsenal over guard of honour dilemma vs Liverpool

Sir Alex Ferguson’s advice for Arsenal over guard of honour dilemma vs Liverpool

Arsenal will be expected to give Liverpool a guard of honour when the two sides clash at Anfield on Sunday after the Reds beat the Gunners to the Premier League title this season

Sir Alex Ferguson is no stranger to a guard of honour (Image: Alex Livesey, Getty Images )

Arsenal fans may fume at the prospect of their team giving Liverpool a guard of honour at Anfield this weekend, but Sir Alex Ferguson is one who supports the tradition.

The north Londoners were hot on the heels of the Reds for the entirety of 2024/25, before faltering in the latter stages of the campaign and painfully watching their rivals claim the Premier League title with four games to spare. And as a result, it goes without saying that celebrating their peers' achievements may not be atop the list of Arsenal's things they want to do.

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Instead, Mikel Arteta and his side will much prefer to focus on securing a second-place finish in the Premier League, with the threat of drifting down the table still very real.

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For context, three points separate the side from third-place Manchester City, while just seven keep them from seventh-placed Aston Villa with three games left to play.

And while the squad will hope to hit the ground running when they visit Anfield on Sunday, they will first be expected to give Liverpool a guard of honour in recognition of their achievements. In no way new to the world of football, Brendan Rodgers has also recalled how Ferguson once swallowed his pride to congratulate Chelsea in similar fashion.

Manchester United famously gave Jose Mourinho's Chelsea the honour two decades ago when the 'Special One' guided the Lions to a Premier League title.

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Rodgers, who was working as a coach with Chelsea at the time, also explained that it was Ferguson who initiated the decision, reports the Mirror.

He said: "I can never forget when I was at Chelsea as a young coach and, in that first season that Jose was in, they won the title.

"I remember going to Old Trafford to watch the game that evening and I'm sure the Man United players didn't want to do it but I'm sure Fergie insisted they did it.

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"That must have been really, really difficult but it showed you the class of Sir Alex and it showed you the humility of him that another competitor came in and took the title, but it was also sporting that they did that, but also can provide you with great motivation going forward."

The guard of honour is a tradition

While the display isn't an enforced rule per se, it comes as a class-act of tradition to show respect.

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However, there have been certain instances of reluctance, especially when sides are direct rivals of one another.

While Liverpool will lavish in their 20th overall top flight title, and enjoy their final three games as a victory circuit, Arsenal have the task of playing to the final whistle of the season.

The Gunners will need wins over Liverpool, Newcastle United, and Southampton to ensure they finish as runners-up, as the Cityzens plan to overtake stiff competition in the standings and make up for an off-kilter season of their own.

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