SHOCK: PEP GUARDIOLA’S CHRISTMAS WEIGH-IN: REVEALED: CITY STARS FACE AXE OVER WEIGHT
Pep Guardiola will weigh Man City stars on Christmas Day. REVEALED: Any player over 3kg extra will be axed from the team.
Pep Guardiola said he's going to weigh his Manchester City players on Christmas Day. If they've gained too much weight, they're getting dropped.
City is close behind Arsenal in the standings as the holiday games approach, and they've won their last seven games.
After City's 3-0 win against West Ham on Saturday, Guardiola is keeping a close watch on his players' fitness.
They play Nottingham Forest on December 27, and he doesn't want his players eating too much over Christmas.
Guardiola wants to make sure his players are in shape, so he's threatening to bench anyone who comes back overweight.
He's done this before, like when he got rid of Kalvin Phillips and Samir Nasri for not staying in shape.
He said that every City player got weighed after the West Ham game.
And he's going to weigh them again when they show up for training.
If anyone is more than three kilograms over their normal weight, Guardiola said they won't play in the game.
He said, “Yesterday, every player was at the correct weight.
“On the 25th, I’ll be there, checking how many kilos everyone gains.
If they come in too heavy, I'm serious.
“When they get back after three days, I want to see their condition.
They can eat at Christmas, but I want to keep an eye on them. I have to pick the team for the match against Nottingham Forest on the 27th.
“If a player comes back three kilos heavier, he's staying in Manchester. He won’t be going to Nottingham Forest, for sure.”
He's watching what his players eat, but Guardiola said he was glad they got an extra day off this year.
Usually, there are games on Boxing Day, but this year there's only one, with the rest on December 27 and 28.
He said, “I learned in England that you should give as many days off as possible.
The schedule is packed, and the players need to spend time with their families and forget about football.
“The better their mood and the fresher their legs are, the better they'll play.
“That’s why I’m resting. I’ll be with my family, with champagne and my 94-year-old father—give me more days.”
Man City doesn't need much to get them going, as they're trying to take the top spot from Arsenal.
They could be in first place, at least for a few hours, if they beat Forest. Arsenal plays Brighton later that day.
HOW PEP GUARDIOLA’S ROTATION IS SABOTAGING PHIL FODEN’S 2026 WORLD CUP DREAMS
Thomas Tuchel admits Phil Foden is "struggling" and offers no guarantee for a World Cup spot after poor England form.
Phil Foden just hasn’t found his groove with the England squad lately. After friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, manager Thomas Tuchel pointed out that Foden isn’t in top shape, and it might cost him a World Cup spot.
Even at Manchester City, Foden’s spot in the starting lineup isn’t a sure thing anymore. Still, Tuchel picked him for the internationals and put him in the starting eleven both times. Instructions first, behind Doand's instructions, and Dominic Solanke for the Uruguay match, then behind Morgan Rogers when they faced Japan. But neither game saw Foden really come alive for England.
Tuchel didn’t hide his disappointment. “He tried everything,” he said. “He was outstanding in training, but once the game started, he just couldn’t bring that same energy to the pitch.”
Tuchel also mentioned that Foden just hasn’t been getting enough minutes at City. Even so, he arrived at the training camp in good spirits and looked sharp during the sessions. “I honestly thought he’d bring that spark into the games. But he’s struggling to show what he’s capable of.”
When reporters asked if he’d really take a player who isn’t playing much for his club, isn’t in form, and hasn’t been making an impact for England, Tuchel was upfront: “Yeah, I can take him. The question is whether we actually will. There’s no guarantee he’ll make the squad.”
Now, Foden has about two months to turn things around before Tuchel names England’s World Cup squad. “I’m always learning,” Tuchel said. “Every training session, I see how the team fits, how the players respond to times applied and instructions, how quickly they catch on. Instructions were followed time and time again, and then applied during matches.”
Everything’s still up for grabs. The priority now is for the players to finish strong with their clubs, then come back ready for England training camp. That’s when Tuchel and his team will make the final calls.
DISCOVER THE REGISTRATION RULE THAT BARRED MARC GUEHI FROM MAN CITY’S FINAL
Pep Guardiola criticises EFL rules after Marc Guehi is barred from the Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal.
Marc Guehi was bursting with pride watching his Manchester City teammates receive their Carabao Cup winners’ medals. Even though he couldn’t grab one for himself, he cheered them on.
The 25-year-old missed out at Wembley in City’s 2-0 win over Arsenal. It wasn’t because he was cup-tied, even though he’d played in this competition earlier in the season for Crystal Palace before joining City in January. If that was the rule, Antoine Semenyo, who also arrived in January, would have sat out too. But that wasn’t it. Guehi simply wasn’t registered with City before the first leg of their semi-final against Newcastle, so he wasn’t allowed to play.
Semenyo got lucky. The city signed and registered him in time, so he was eligible for the showdown with Newcastle and beyond.
So, Guehi had to watch the final from the sidelines while City chased their ninth League Cup success. You could tell from his social media that he was heartbroken not to be out there. He posted a slow-mo video of the team lifting the cup at Wembley and wrote, “What a team and performance. So proud of the boys.”
Before the final, Pep Guardiola didn’t hide his irritation about Guehi’s absence. At his press conference, he said, “Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup (EFL) that Marc can play the final. I don’t understand why he can’t. Maybe we should write a letter. You buy a player for a lot of money, and he can’t play because of a rule I don’t get. Hopefully, they will change it. It’s hard to understand.”
So City relied on Abdukodir Khusanov and Nathan Ake at the back. Both the Uzbek and Dutch defenders were rock solid against Arsenal.
Nico O’Reilly stole the show with a pair of fantastic goals, charging forward from left-back. After the win, Guardiola was glowing: “For James [Trafford] it was his first final. Khusanov’s only been here one year; Nico O’Reilly has impressed me in his first full season, and Antoine [Semenyo] played his first final. Lots of players are having a good first taste – that’s what we need. Shows us we can do it.
“We’re much better than last season, but not quite the team we want to be yet. That takes time. Hopefully by next season or the end of this one we’ll get there.”
