Spanish coach Pep Guardiola has been known for seasons as a strict manager regarding physical fitness levels, having suspended some of his squad members from first-team training in 2016 until they reached specific weight targets.
Former midfielder Gaël Clichy revealed that Guardiola ordered his players to stay away from pizza, certain juices, and “heavy meals” in general.
Guardiola apologized to Kalvin Phillips after describing the Manchester City midfielder as “overweight” following his return from the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
Manchester City currently trails Premier League leaders Arsenal by two points, after the latter defeated Everton 1-0 last Saturday. The team faces Forest before an away match at Sunderland during the Christmas period.
Guardiola announced that he has no issues regarding the team’s physical fitness or physical training, but they simply “must play better.”
“The players asked me to give tomorrow’s [Sunday’s] training session a break, and I said yes, because they didn’t perform well enough,” Guardiola said.
“So, Sunday will be a break, except for the players who didn’t participate who will train. After three days off, they will have two days to prepare to face Nottingham Forest.”
Guardiola added that it is very important for players to spend time with their families during the Christmas celebrations.
“I have learned in England since my arrival that for every day you can give them off, you give it to them,” Guardiola noted.
“The situation is not very good and the players must forget. By the moment of the match, their legs will be fine.”
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