Pep Guardiola fires ‘fatty’ warning to Man City stars as Scrooge denies Christmas request
Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City stars what will happen if they return from a Christmas break overweight after refusing a request because their 3-0 win over West Ham ‘wasn’t good enough’
Pep Guardiola has turned Ebenezer Scrooge as he put his players on notice by warning them against festive overindulgence – after denying their Christmas request.
The Manchester City boss has made it crystal clear that any squad member returning from the brief holiday period out of shape will be benched for next week’s match against Nottingham Forest. Guardiola even denied his players a day off following Saturday’s comfortable Premier League win over West Ham to ensure his message was well received.
Despite the Erling Haaland-inspired 3-0 victory – marking their fifth consecutive league win – keeping the heat on table-toppers Arsenal and briefly putting them in the lead, the Spanish manager wasn’t satisfied with the performance. Guardiola said: “The players asked me to take a day off. I said, ‘No because you didn’t play good enough’.
“So Sunday recovery, train the guys that didn’t play, and after three days off they have two days to prepare for Nottingham Forest. Every player makes a weight. They come back on the 25th and I will be there controlling how many kilos come up, [to see if] 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 for [December] 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.”
Guardiola acknowledged his team’s fitness levels are currently where they should be, but it was other facets of their performance against West Ham that troubled him, reports the Mirror.
He stated: “The problem is not running. One of the attributes of my teams since I started in Barcelona B until now is that we run like an animal, but it’s not enough. We have to play better.”
Despite this, Guardiola recognises the importance of his players spending time with their families and taking a break from the demands of football.
This marks the first time since the November international break that Manchester City haven’t had a midweek fixture, and Guardiola is taking the opportunity to visit his father in Barcelona.
He said: “Next week I have holidays, being with family and with champagne. I’ve learned from England, since I arrived, as much days [where you can] have a day off, you give them.
“The schedule is so tight and the players have to forget. The more they arrive in the right moment [the better]. The moment of the game they will be fresh in the legs.
“The players have to go with the families and forget football. It’s good. For them to see the manager every day – that’s so tough!”.
