Pep Guardiola has made it clear that he will not tolerate one thing during the festive period. So, the Catalan coach has laid down firm rules for his squad.
Manchester City enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium on the weekend. Erling Haaland scored a brace, and Tijjani Reijnders also found the net in that game.
Despite the scoreline, Guardiola was far from satisfied with the overall performance and immediately set his standards.
Rather than handing out a rest day, Guardiola revealed that he ordered players back into training the following day.
The squad will also report to the Etihad Campus on Christmas Day, where the manager will personally ensure that fitness levels have not slipped. Speaking after the West Ham victory, Pep Guardiola said:
“The players asked me to take a day off tomorrow, I said no, because you did not play good enough.”
He then explained his festive monitoring plan in detail.
“Yesterday they were weighed and everything was perfect. But when they come back on the 25th, they will be weighed again to see if they come back fatty.
“I want to see how they come back. I will be there controlling how many kilos come up.”
Guardiola has a history of acting on such issues. Former City midfielder Kalvin Phillips previously fell out of favour after returning overweight following a post-World Cup break in 2022.
The Manchester City manager has warned that similar consequences will follow if players don’t meet his standards. Guardiola added.
“If one player arrives back with three kilos more, he will stay in Manchester. He will not travel to Nottingham Forest.”
While the squad remains under strict supervision, Guardiola himself plans to spend a short break in Barcelona with his family, including his 94-year-old father.
Pep Guardiola has warned his #MCFC players they will be dropped against Nottingham Forest – if they over eat at Christmas.
Manager had all his squad weighed on Friday & will stick them back on the scales when they return pre Foresthttps://t.co/yrLySjHdes
— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) December 21, 2025
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