Guardiola: Man City Players ‘Incredibly Disciplined’ Over Christmas

Guardiola: Man City Players ‘Incredibly Disciplined’ Over Christmas

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has praised the discipline of his players during the Christmas break, revealing the squad have upheld the club’s elite fitness standards ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.

Weight Checks and High Standards

Guardiola had previously announced that players would be weighed upon their return from the festive break — a measure he also employed in his early City tenure and notably in 2022 when he criticised Kalvin Phillips for returning “overweight” after the World Cup.

Speaking to the press on Friday, Guardiola said:

“I earn four or five kilograms more for the amount of food and drinks that I have drunk, so it is really good…

The players have been incredibly disciplined since 10 years ago.”

He added that City players have always understood what’s expected:

“We have a standard as a club – everybody knows exactly what they have to do.”

Haaland All Good, Says Guardiola

Erling Haaland confirmed he had passed the check-in by sharing a photo on social media showing a 94.4kg weigh-in, adding the caption “All good!” – a nod to Guardiola’s tough physical demands.

Injury Updates: Rodri, Stones, Doku

Guardiola provided several key injury updates ahead of the Saturday lunchtime kickoff:

• Rodri is “much, much better” after a hamstring issue and may be available pending final assessment.

• Jeremy Doku and John Stones remain out.

• Oscar Bobb is also recovering, and with Doku sidelined and AFCON departures looming, City’s wide options are stretched.

Transfer Window: Semenyo Talks Continue

The City manager again refused to rule out new arrivals, with Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth emerging as a top January target.

“It is open and everything can happen,” Guardiola said, referring to the winter window.

As revealed earlier this week, City are in advanced talks to trigger Semenyo’s £65m release clause. With AFCON absentees and injuries impacting attacking depth, the Ghana international could offer immediate reinforcement.

City Look to Go Top

City travel to Nottingham Forest for a crucial fixture that could see them temporarily go top of the Premier League table. Leaders Arsenal play later on Saturday against Brighton.

“I prefer to be 10 points ahead of everyone but it is what it is,” Guardiola said.

“We are still in the end of December, in the Champions League we are up there, in the Premier League we are up there, we are in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, and the start of the FA Cup is soon.”

Despite fixture congestion and squad fatigue, the reigning treble winners remain in contention across all fronts.