Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has warned his players that anybody who returns from their Christmas break overweight will immediately be dropped from his squad.
City will spend Christmas Day in second place in the Premier League table thanks to their recent 3–0 win over West Ham United, which temporarily took them into first before Arsenal restored a two-point advantage against Everton.
“The players asked me to take a day off. I said, ‘No because you didn’t play good enough.’” Guardiola said as he laid down the law to his players about their festive plans.
“So Sunday recovery, train the guys that didn’t play, and after three days off they have two days to prepare for Nottingham Forest.”
While a traditional Christmas dinner may be on the table for most, Guardiola was in no mood to let his title-chasing squad indulge over the winter break as he vowed to personally weigh each and every player upon their return.
Guardiola: Overweight Players Will Be Dropped
“Every player makes a weight,” he insisted. “They come back on the 25th and I will be there controlling how many kilos come up, [to see if] they come fatty.
“The moment they arrive after three days I want to see how they come back. They can eat but I want to control them. I have to make a selection for [December] 27 against Nottingham Forest.
“Imagine one player and now he’s perfect but he will arrive with three kilos more. He will [stay] in Manchester. He will not travel to Nottingham Forest.”
Guardiola has his sights set on yet another run at the Premier League title, having already closed the gap to leaders Arsenal from seven points to just two. The City boss has looked increasingly confident about his side’s aspirations but is well aware of the uphill battle in front of them.
Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta is refusing to look at City’s resurgence in an attempt to keep his focus on his own side, but Guardiola hopes to make so much noise that his former protégé will have to take notice.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pep Guardiola Issues Brutal Weight Warning to Man City Squad.