John Barnes wants Liverpool to win the Premier League at Goodison Park
John Barnes spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com ahead of Liverpool's return to Premier League action.
John Barnes wants to watch Liverpool win the Premier League title in their rivals' back garden – Goodison Park.
The Reds take on Everton on the blue side of Stanley Park knowing that they stand a chance of winning the title depending on results elsewhere.
Barnes will be in the stands watching the game with a fan via Zoom through a NOW TV competition, and can't wait to see whether Jurgen Klopp's men can get the job done in the sweetest way possible.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com he said: "It means a lot to the fans. It’ll be bittersweet because they won’t be there to celebrate, but from my point of view, it won’t detract from what the team has done. They’ve been 20-odd points better than everybody else. They’ve thoroughly deserved it.
"This Premier League title will be as deserved and warranted as any Premier League title since the Premier League started.
"I can feel slightly disappointed for [the fans], because they may not be there to celebrate. But hopefully Arsenal can do us a favour because we want to win the league at Goodison Park."
Whenever the Reds do secure the league title – barring a seismic collapse – Barnes has urged fans to celebrate safely following concerns that congregations may gather outside Goodison Park or Anfield.
He said: "Fans will celebrate anywhere, if they want to celebrate. It doesn’t have to be outside a stadium. If you play at neutral grounds, fans may go out to Liverpool and celebrate in the town centre. We’ve seen people congregating anywhere.
"If they’re going to celebrate, it doesn’t matter if they’re playing at home or away or at a neutral ground 50 miles away, I would urge them to be sensible and not to go out in big crowds.
"But I don’t think the fact that they are going to play at home, or not at home, has any bearing on that.
"I’ll be actually at the ground. I’ll be watching it from the stadium. The fans will be able to see... well, not the atmosphere, because of course, there’s going to be none. But it’ll be interesting for them to actually look and see an empty stadium, with the players on the pitch.
"It’s just a great opportunity. Because everyone’s glad football’s back. So why not enjoy it together, as much as we can’t be physically together?
"We all want to enjoy football with 50,000 people there, but of course, now I’ve teamed up with NOW TV to fortunately be able to watch the game with Liverpool fans. Yes, you watch it at home by yourself, but if you can have other people with you, it’s great. It’s a great opportunity. We’re looking forward to getting fans on board."
To celebrate the return of the Premier League, John Barnes is hosting a NOW TV Legend Watch Party for Everton v Liverpool.
To apply, visit nowtv.com/legendswatchalong. NOW TV is offering 64 Premier League matches (39 exclusively) via a Sky Sports Pass, for just £25 a month until 2nd July
Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
