MANCHESTER (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – Everyone is free to relax, but keep an eye on the scales. Manchester City players will be given three days off before beginning preparations for Saturday’s match against Nottingham Forest, but anyone who overdoes it will face consequences, Pep Guardiola has warned.
Haaland and his teammates were weighed before last Saturday’s win over West Ham and, upon their return, they will step on the scales again. “When they come back after three days off, I want to see how they return. They can eat, but then I want to check them,” the Spanish coach stressed. “A player might be at his ideal weight today and then come back three kilos heavier: at that point he stays in Manchester, he won’t travel with us to Nottingham.”
Guardiola is uncompromising on this issue. Back in 2016, he excluded some players from training for failing to maintain their ideal weight, and former City defender Gaël Clichy has previously recalled how the coach advised his players to avoid pizza and heavy foods.
On the other hand, the Spanish manager believes it is right to allow players to switch off. “Since I arrived in England I’ve learned that, when possible, it’s right to give them days off. The schedule is very congested and the players need to rest. When it’s match time, they’ll have fresh legs.”
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
