Pep Guardiola issues fitness warning to Erling Haaland, Manchester City ahead of Christmas

Pep Guardiola has guided Manchester City back into the Premier League title race during the 2025-26 season, with Erling Haaland once again emerging as the team’s focal point. With the Christmas holiday period approaching and the traditional Boxing Day fixtures looming, the Spanish manager issued a blunt fitness warning to his squad.

Manchester City will face Nottingham Forest on Saturday, December 27, in Matchday 18 of the Premier League, a crucial fixture as City look to finish the first half of the season at the top of the table. However, Guardiola’s primary concern is not the opponent, but rather how his players return physically after the holiday break.

Speaking after City’s win over West Ham, Guardiola was asked about his demands over the players after taking the decision to hold a training session the day after the match, and his response was direct: “Every player make a weight (on Friday). An in the 25th I will be there controlling how many kilos come up. They come ‘fatty.’ You know when you figure out how many kilos you have? They did that; everything perfect, fit.”

Despite the 3–0 victory over the Hammers, Guardiola stressed that City should have been more clinical with their chances and confirmed the squad would now receive three days off instead of four. “The moment they arrive after three days (off) I want to see how they come back. They can eat, but I want to control them,” he added.

Even Erling Haaland, who has scored 19 goals in 17 Premier League appearances, is not exempt from the manager’s standards: “I have to make a selection at the 27th against Nottingham Forest. So imagine one player that was perfect arrives with three kilos more. He will be in Manchester. He will not travel to Nottingham Forest. That’s for sure.“

Guardiola preparing to face a demanding stretch

With 37 points, City trail league leaders Arsenal by two points, and despite the comfortable win over West Ham, Guardiola is focused on ensuring his players are physically ready for the upcoming stretch of matches. That mindset is why the squad trained on Sunday before being released for the holidays.

“The players asked me to take a day off, I said, no, because you didn’t play good enough,” Guardiola explained. “Recovery, train the guys that didn’t play, and after three days off, you have two days to prepare for Nottingham Forest.“

The Spanish boss also acknowledged the toll of the congested calendar but emphasized the importance of balance. “The schedule is so tight. The players need to go with their families and forget about football,” he said.

Between the match against Nottingham Forest and City’s late-January clash with Galatasaray on January 28, the club will play 10 matches across all competitions in just 32 days, an average of fewer than four days between games, underscoring why the manager stressed discipline and recovery during the holiday period.