Pep Guardiola has guided Manchester city back in the Premier League title race during the 2025-2026 season, with Erling Haaland once again emerged as the center of the team. With the Christmas the holiday season is approaching and the traditional Boxing Day matches are just around the corner, the Spanish manager issued a blunt fitness warning to his squad.
Manchester city will play against Nottingham Forest on Saturday 27 Decemberon matchday 18 of the Premier League, a crucial match as City look to finish the first half of the season at the top of the table. Guardiola’s main concern, however, is not the opponent, but rather how his players return physically after the holiday period.
After City’s win over West Ham, Guardiola was asked about his demands on the players after making the decision to hold training the day after the match, and his response was direct: “Each player creates a weight (on Friday). And on the 25th I will be there to check how many kilos are coming up. They become ‘fat’. You know when you find out how many pounds you have? They did; everything perfect, fits.”
Despite the 3-0 win over the Hammers, Guardiola insisted City should have been more clinical with their chances and confirmed the side would now get three days off instead of four. “The moment they arrive after three days (out) I want to see how they come back. They can eat, but I want to control them”, he added.
Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola talks to Phil Foden during the match against West Ham.
Even Erling Haalandwho scored 19 goals in 17 Premier League appearances is not exempt from the manager’s standards: “I have to make a selection against Nottingham Forest on the 27th. So imagine that a player who was perfect arrives with three kilos more. He will be in Manchester. He will not travel to Nottingham Forest. That’s for sure.“
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Guardiola is preparing for a demanding period
With 37 points, City leads Arsenal by two pointsDespite the comfortable victory over West Ham, Guardiola wants to ensure that his players are physically ready for the coming matches. That mentality is why the team trained on Sunday before getting off for the holidays.
“The players asked me to take a day off, I said no, because you weren’t playing well enough” Guardiola explained. “Recover, train the boys who haven’t played, and after three days off you have two days to prepare for Nottingham Forest.“
The Spanish boss also acknowledged the toll of the busy schedule, but stressed the importance of balance. “The schedule is so tight. The players should go with their families and forget about football,he said.
Between the game against Nottingham Forest and City’s late January clash with Galatasaray on January 28 the club plays ten matches in just 32 days in all competitions, with an average of less than four days between matcheswhich underlines why the manager emphasized discipline and recovery during the holiday period.
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