Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola makes Man City players stick to routine during Christmas Day
Manchester City's squad will be bedding down at their Etihad Campus training grounds on Christmas night in an effort to halt their worrying dip in form. The Blues, who have secured only one win in their last 12 matches across all competitions, are set to face Everton at 12.30pm on Boxing Day.
Despite the holiday season, Guardiola is adamant that the team will stick to their usual pre-home game routine of staying together the night before a match.
City's players had the morning of Christmas Day to spend with their families but were due to regroup for an evening training session at the ground before spending the night. "We train today (Tuesday), we train tomorrow (Wednesday) night, we will stay over here and we are going to play on Boxing Day," Guardiola confirmed.
When questioned whether his players would object to spending Christmas night at the training facilities, Guardiola responded tersely: "Hopefully they want to be here, because it's our job."
Saturday saw City's troubling streak persist as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa. This leaves them starting the busy festive period in an astonishing seventh place in the Premier League, despite being the reigning champions for the past four seasons.
They now trail unexpected frontrunners Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, finding themselves a significant 12 points adrift of leaders Liverpool.
Guardiola's focus is now on steering Manchester City back on course and ensuring they secure a spot in next season's Champions League. Additionally, the club is still dealing with the repercussions of the 115 charges brought against them.
As Manchester City prepares to face Everton, there are lingering questions about their current form. The seasoned manager, with a rich history at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, shared his perspective on the situation, saying: "This situation is new for all of us. It's about us, everyone. The guys are running and making an effort more than ever."
He addressed the criticisms head-on: "People say we are not running, fighting, it's this player, this manager - it is not about that. It is about many little details or some big details that make us not as good as we were."
Nevertheless, he remains hopeful: "But we have another opportunity on Boxing Day. We have players coming back and at a certain time we will be better."