Manchester City players don't only have to follow Pep Guardiola and his tactics - they also have to listen to his rules or risk their squad place
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Manchester City players must adhere to a specific rule set by Pep Guardiola every day they're at the club, otherwise they risk their place in the team.
Guardiola is notorious for his attention to detail, the Catalan boss meticulous in his approach to every single game. While that has been common knowledge ever since his debut campaign as the Barcelona senior manager, new details highlight just how specific the Manchester City boss goes.
Though Gael Clichy played under Guardiola for just one season at Manchester City, making 39 appearances in all competitions across the 2016/17 campaign, the France U21 assistant manager reveals the key rule that every player must adhere to.
Clichy and Pep had a season together at City (Image credit: Getty Images)
"The people who love analysing games can make books about Pep’s tactics and the way he transforms his team’s formations," Clichy told The Guardian. "For me, though, there were three great examples I witnessed of his focus on details.
"First, his rule of two kilos. If you were two kilos over what he considered your top weight, you didn’t train. In football, you always hear managers say: 'If you’re overweight, you’re not training.' In the end, if it’s an important player, the rule is pushed under the carpet because they need that player.
"With Pep, if you were two kilos over the weight you were after finishing the hard work and proper food of pre-season, you did not train. I saw players who didn’t train for two weeks."
Guardiola called Phillips "overweight" upon his return from the World Cup (Image credit: Getty Images)
While the other two examples Clichy gives focus on Guardiola's ability to delegate responsibility to all of his staff and ensuring the players knew every staff member was just as important as him, Clichy makes clear that no one in the squad could get away with coasting or going through the motions.
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This rule became most apparent when he called Kalvin Phillips "overweight" when he returned from the 2022 World Cup. Guardiola has since apologised to the on-loan West Ham United midfielder, though, while speaking ahead of Manchester City's Premier League clash with Brentford.
“Yeah, I’m sorry," Guardiola said to Phillips via the media. "Once in eight years is not bad. But I’m so sorry. I apologise to him.
"I spoke to him before [making the comments in the media]. I never, ever don’t speak to the team before I say something here, or the player in that case.”
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
