Guardiola on Man City weighing players before Forest game

Man City to Weigh Players Before Forest Clash, Warns Guardiola

Man City to Weigh Players Before Forest Game, Says Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has revealed that his Manchester City squad will be weighed before they return from Christmas break, as the club prepares for their upcoming fixture against Nottingham Forest on 27 December.

Weight Check After Christmas

Guardiola, known for his strict player management, stated:

“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.”

“Imagine one player is perfect now but returns with three kilos more — he will stay in Manchester, he will not travel to Nottingham.”

This echoes past incidents, including in 2016 when Guardiola excluded players from first-team training for failing to meet weight standards, and his public criticism of Kalvin Phillips for being “overweight” after the 2022 World Cup.

Past Rules: No Pizza or Juice

Former City defender Gael Clichy once revealed Guardiola banned pizza, juice, and heavy food from the players’ diets — part of a strict culture of peak performance.

Training During Festive Period

While many clubs offer light schedules around Christmas, Guardiola made clear his expectations:

“The players asked me to have Sunday’s training off, and I said no — because they didn’t play well enough.”

Instead, City trained the next day after beating West Ham 3-0, with non-starters going through full sessions. They were then granted three days off, but will be monitored upon return.