“A player who will come back three kilos heavier…”: Pep Guardiola’s funny warning before the Christmas break

The high level is all about the details. Weighty sometimes. Pep Guardiola, the demanding and meticulous manager of the Manchester City football team, knows this better than anyone. This is why he warned his players that they will be subject to a weigh-in after Christmas and the confectioners’ break. Those who are overweight will be excluded from the group, the coach also threatened on Monday.

Guardiola weighed in on his team members, including Rayan Cherki, before the mini-break and “when they return on the 25th (December) I will check if they have gained kilos,” he said.

“I want to see how they will be after three days (parties). They can eat, but I want to control them,” he added.

“Forget football”

“A player who returns with three kilos more will stay in Manchester, he will not be traveling to Nottingham Forest” on December 27, he promised.

Guardiola, however, asked his players to “enjoy their family and forget about football” during the break to regain mental freshness.

Manchester City, quiet winner of West Ham on Saturday (3-0), is in second place in the Premier League, two small points behind leader Arsenal, after 17 days.

Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Gianluig, Donnarumma or Rayan Cheki are ready.