Man City set to weigh players so that they stay in shape ahead of their fixture against Nottingham Forest.
Man City to weigh players before Forest game.
When his Manchester City players resume training, Pep Guardiola said they will be weighed to make sure they are healthy enough to play against Nottingham Forest on December 27.
In their final game before Christmas, Man City defeated West Ham 3-0 on Saturday.
Guardiola stated that his players will be weighed once more when they report for training the following week after they were weighed prior to the West Ham match and found to be in compliance.
“The moment they arrive after three days [off] I want to see how they come back. They can eat but I want to control them,” the 54-year-old said on Saturday.
“Imagine one player and now he’s perfect but he will arrive with three kilos more.
“He will be in Manchester, he will not travel to Nottingham Forest.”
Guardiola is renowned for being a tough coach when it comes to player fitness levels. In 2016, he barred some members of his club from first-team training unless they reached specific weight goals.
In the past, Guardiola expressed regret to Kalvin Phillips for calling the City midfielder “overweight” upon his return from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
After defeating Everton 1-0 on Saturday, City is now two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal. They will play Forest before travelling to Sunderland on New Year’s Day.
Guardiola stated that his team just “has to play better” and that he had no issues with their running or fitness.
“The players asked me to have tomorrow’s [Sunday’s] training session off and I said no, because they didn’t play well enough,” Guardiola said.
“So Sunday recovery, train the guys that didn’t play, and after three days off they have two days to prepare for Nottingham Forest.”
Guardiola added that it was important for his players to spend time with their families over the Christmas period.
“I’ve learned from England, since I arrived, as much days [where you can] have a day off, you give them,” he added.
“The schedule is so tight and the players have to forget. The moment of the game they will be fresh in the legs.”