Pep Guardiola Bans Players Deemed Overweight from Manchester City Training

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has reportedly prohibited players in his squad who are overweight from taking part in training. 

As noted by James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph, City left-back Gael Clichy spoke about the strict regime being implemented by the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager.

“With him, if your weight is too high, you’re not training with the team,” said the Frenchman. “So we have a few players who are not training with the team yet.” Clichy went on to reveal “pizza and all the heavy food is not allowed” under the new boss.

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The appointment of the illustrious coach has been met with plenty of excitement, not just from those tied to City, but the Premier League as a whole.

After all, not only does Guardiola’s football produce results—he’s won the UEFA Champions League twice and six league titles during his time as a manager—it’s done in a style that bewitches and thrills. To play such a unique brand of football requires a specific brand of player.

With that in mind, it’s not a shock to learn Guardiola is being such a stern taskmaster with his player. Clichy has spoken of just how impressed he has been with the 45-year-old’s methods, saying he’s “someone you will remember for a long time because he’s truly impressive.” Clichy added “an amazing season for those that will be lucky to stay here” is on the cards.

Those words of praise come after midfielder Fabian Delph said “the first three weeks [under Guardiola] have been amazing. I've learned more than I have throughout my whole career,” per BBC Sport.

For the special season predicted by Clichy to come to fruition, the players will need to be fine tuned. Not just in terms of their work on the ball, but their fitness too.

With that in mind, Spanish football journalist Rafael Hernandez is not surprised that Guardiola has taken such a stance on the players’ health:

As noted by Ducker, they’re traits that Arsene Wenger was revered for when he took over Arsenal in 1996. Having worked under the Gunners boss himself, Clichy can see similar trends.

“I’ve trained only a few weeks with Guardiola, and I was eight years with Wenger,” he said. “There are a lot of similarities between the two but also so much difference.”

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Plenty of intrigue has accompanied Guardiola’s arrival in English football, with one of the key questions whether or not his blueprint is compatible with the physicality of the Premier League. It’s evident that while there are challenges to come in that sense, his team will be in the best shape possible to deal with them.

With Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, Jurgen Klopp leading Liverpool and Antonio Conte the top man at Chelsea, intense football and relentless pressing is likely to be in vogue in the top flight next season. Guardiola’s men are unlikely to be left behind in that respect.