Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has laid down strict rules for his players during their time off before Christmas.
Pep Guardiola will weigh his Manchester City players on Christmas Day and banish anyone who has overindulged from the matchday squad for Nottingham Forest. The Blues were all weighed on Friday before the West Ham game and Guardiola will personally oversee the results of a second check when the squad return from their break before the next match.
City’s stars have been given three days off this week to enjoy some rest with friends and family before they are back at the City Football Academy on December 25 to start preparations for Nottingham Forest on December 27. Guardiola was delighted with the fitness of his squad and their work rate in the West Ham game but warned that anyone who does not stick to their weight when they return will not travel for the match.
Guardiola has previous for such strict standards, publicly criticising summer signing Kalvin Phillips at the end of 2022 after the England midfielder returned from a post-World Cup break heavier than the manager wanted. And as he looks for his side to add to their run of seven consecutive victories Guardiola will not let standards slip with trust in the hands of the players to be professional in their time off.
“Everything was perfect. You see how they run [against West Ham]? The problem is not running,” he said. “It’s why the team who made the Premier League won the second most runs. It’s unbelievable. Did you see all of them? Phil and Erling today and, oh, I love it.
“Last season didn’t have that. One of the attributes of my team was since I started in Barcelona B team until now is that we run like an animal. But it’s not enough. We have to play better. You know, we run less and that today was not good.
“[On Friday] every player made a weight. They come back on the 25th and I will be there controlling how many kilos come up. They come fatty… the moment they arrive after three days I want to see how they come back. They can eat, but I want to control them.
“I have to make a selection at 27 against Nottingham Forest. Imagine one player and now he’s perfect but he will arrive with three kilos more. He will [stay] in Manchester. He will not travel to Nottingham Forest. That’s for sure.”
