Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are on a winning streak in December but that hasn't stopped their manager taking a hard line with his squad heading into the Christmas period
Pep Guardiola speaking to Phil Foden during Manchester City's win over West Ham
Pep Guardiola speaking to Phil Foden during Manchester City's win over West Ham
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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola warned his players he won't tolerate any of them returning out of condition after the Christmas period. But Guardiola isn't the only one to target Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Co. after City's stars were handed a ban... by local branches of supermarket chain Iceland.
An Iceland spokesperson cheekily suggested they were giving Guardiola a helping hand with the ban, which they are applying to Manchester stores over the festive period. "With Pep keeping such a close eye on his players’ Christmas calories, we thought it was only right to do our bit to help support him and get the best result for local fans," they said.
“Our festive desserts are designed to be indulgent, over-the-top and impossible to resist, from Baileys-loaded centrepieces to towering pavlovas and chocolate smash bowls. They’re perfect for Christmas celebrations, but probably not ideal if you’ve got a post-Christmas weigh-in and an important away trip on the line.”
Guardiola's team will sit second in the Premier League table on Christmas Day. They beat West Ham 3-0 on Saturday to temporarily move above Arsenal, only for the Gunners to respond with a win of their own away to Everton.
City have won all four of their league matches in December, also beating Real Madrid in the Champions League and Brentford in the Carabao Cup. However, the Catalan said he denied his team a day off as they 'didn't play good enough' in their weekend victory.
“So Sunday recovery, train the guys that didn’t play, and after three days off they have two days to prepare for Nottingham Forest," he said. "Every player makes a weight. 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.”
Pep Guardiola speaking to Phil Foden during Manchester City's win over West Ham
Guardiola wasn't fully happy with City despite their weekend win
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City's next opponents, Forest, were beaten by Fulham on Monday night. Sean Dyche's side are just one place and five points above the relegation zone and he is braced for a tough test on Saturday.
"It's fantastic what [Guardiola] has achieved. There's no two ways about it," Dyche told reporters on Tuesday morning. "There's only probably maybe Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex [Ferguson] over him. Massively important what he has done for himself, his players and football in general. What he's done has been remarkable in many different ways down the years.
"You need to play very, very well. It's unlikely, watching them and down the years and played against them many times, that you're going to dominate the ball, so you have to be defensively sound. You have to do all the hard yards, all the the inches that can make a difference. You know they're always prepared, and they're a good side. And with a top manager."
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