Manchester City are moving into the heart of the Premier League title race and manager Josep Guardiola wants his team to continue to fight relentlessly during the festival period.
Manager Josep Guardiola has warned his players not to enjoy too much this festive season after rejecting his team’s Christmas appeal.
Manchester City’s manager has confirmed that any members of his squad who have returned unwell from a short break will not take part in next week’s game against Nottingham Forest. Guardiola even refused to give his players a day off after Saturday’s comfortable Premier League win over West Ham to ensure his message got through.
The 3-0 success gave them their fifth straight league win and kept the pressure on leaders Arsenal, and despite being in the lead for several hours, the Spaniard was not satisfied with the level of performance. “The players asked me to take a day off, but I said no because you didn’t play well enough,” Guardiola said.
read more: Gary Neville predicts Arsenal will be eliminated from the Premier League title raceread more: Roy Keane names Manchester United star after Aston Villa defeat: ‘I’m keeping an eye on him’
“So on Sunday we’ll recover, train the players who didn’t play and then after three days off we’ll have two days to prepare for Nottingham Forest. Every player will weigh in. They’ll be back on the 25th and I’ll be there to see if they put on weight and manage how many kilos they put on.”
“The minute they arrive in three days, I want to see how they come back. They can eat, but I want to control them. I have to be selective for the game against Nottingham Forest on the 27th (December).”
“Imagine a player. He’s perfect now, but he arrives with three kilos more on him. He’ll[stay]in Manchester. He won’t go to Nottingham Forest.”
Guardiola said he believes “everything is perfect” now in terms of fitness, but noted that other aspects of his performance against the Hammers were of concern. “The problem is not running. One of the characteristics of my team, from the time we started with Barcelona B until now, is that we run like animals, but that is not enough. We have to play better,” he said.
Despite this, Guardiola feels it is important for his players to spend time with their families and have fun.
It will be the first time since the November international break that City won’t have a midweek game, and he himself is heading to Barcelona to spend time with his father.
“Next week I have a holiday and I’ll be spending it with my family and drinking champagne. What I’ve learned since coming to England is to give as many days as possible (where you get vacation).”
“The players must remember that the schedule is very tight. The better they arrive at the right time (the better). At the moment of the match, their legs will be fresh.”
“The players have to go with their families and forget about football, which is good. For them they have to see the coach every day. It’s very difficult!”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£43
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
