Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has key rule EVERY player must stick to – otherwise they don’t play

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has key rule EVERY player must stick to – otherwise they don’t play

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

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JANUARY 7: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola looks on during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Manchester City and Huddersfield Town at Etihad Stadium on January 7, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

(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.

 

Gael Clichy of Manchester City gets instructins from Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Sunderland at Etihad Stadium on August 13, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Clichy and Pep had a season together at City

“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.”

 

Pep Guardiola and Kalvin Phillips of Manchester City, April 2023

Guardiola called Phillips “overweight” upon his return from the World Cup

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.

 

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.”