Pep Guardiola declined to give Manchester City players a longer Christmas vacation after being disappointed by their performance against West Ham. The Blues won 3-0 at home to momentarily top the Premier League table, but Guardiola slammed them for a performance he thought was inadequate if they wanted to win championships. According To Manchester Evening News.
City’s manager had previously agreed to give his players three days off, with one week until their next encounter against Nottingham Forest on December 27. The group will be free to recover from Monday to Wednesday before returning to the training site on Christmas Day to continue their Forest preparations.
Guardiola, however, turned down the group’s request for Sunday off as well, giving them additional time to jet out and spend time with their friends and family, following the West Ham game. Instead, they returned to the City Football Academy on Sunday before finally breaking up for an early Christmas holiday.
“The players asked me to take a day off [on Sunday], I said, no, because you didn’t play good enough,” he replied. “So recover, train the players who did not play, and after three days off, you have two days to prepare for Nottingham Forest.”
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“It depends on the scheduling. At that time, I always gave the same amount. Listen, I learnt from England, and I have said many times that when I arrive, you may give them as many days off as they need. The schedule is extremely tight, that the athletes must forget. Do you know that?
“The more they arrive at the appropriate time, the fresher the game becomes in the legs. That is why I need to recover. The athletes must travel with their family and forget about football. I’ll work for them as usual.”
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