Guardiola praises City squad’s discipline under festive season pressure | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is convinced that his squad has responded well after he warned them about gaining weight during the festive period.

City had a comfortable 3-0 win over West Ham before Christmas, keeping just two points behind leaders Arsenal. But Guardiola, who has already won six Premier League titles at the Etihad, is known for his high standards.

He revealed that his players were weighed before the brief break and instructed not to overindulge ahead of Saturday’s clash against Nottingham Forest away from home. A win would temporarily put Guardiola’s team at the top of the table, before Arsenal host Brighton.

Although the coach jokingly confessed to his own seasonal excesses, he expects the players to have maintained their physical standards: “I gained about four or five kilos from the amount of food and drink I consumed, so it’s great,” joked Guardiola.

But, speaking about his players, he added: “They have been incredibly disciplined for ten years. Last season, due to the injuries we had, it was a bit more difficult, but their behavior has always been unbelievable. This goes for all the players I’ve had in the last decade and it’s no different today. We have a standard as a club; everyone knows exactly what they need to do.”

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City is coming off a run of seven consecutive wins in all competitions and remains in the hunt for several trophies: “I’d rather be 10 points ahead of everyone, but that’s the reality. Arsenal is doing very well, but we’re right behind them.”

“We’re still at the end of December, we’re alive in the Champions League, we’re well positioned in the Premier League, we’re in the semi-final of the English League Cup and the FA Cup is about to start. Some important players are coming back, so we’ll go step by step, game by game, to see what happens.”

Saturday’s game will be the first since the announcement of the death of Forest idol John Robertson, at the age of 72, which occurred on Christmas Day. Robertson was a key figure in Forest’s two-time European championship, providing the assist for Trevor Francis’s goal against Malmo in 1979 and scoring the title-winning goal against Hamburg the following year.

“Playing away against Forest has always been tough, especially at this time and now with the loss of someone so important to their history and legacy as Mr. Robertson,” said Guardiola.

Although the hosts are only five points above the relegation zone, the manager insisted that the City Ground is a tricky venue: “It’s always been a very tough place to play — because of the fans and, above all, because of the quality they have. It’s a team that has invested a lot in recent years since being promoted to the Premier League; it’s a really good team.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.