Pep Guardiola has ordered Manchester City players to spend Christmas night at the club’s training ground ahead of their Boxing Day clash with Everton. City, in the middle of their worst run under Guardiola, have lost nine of their last 12 matches and are struggling to find form.
Guardiola explained that the players will train on Christmas Eve, stay overnight at the Etihad Campus, and play on Boxing Day at 12:30 pm.
“We train today, we train tomorrow night, we will stay over here, and we are going to play on Boxing Day. Hopefully, they want to be here because it’s our job.”
City first introduced this measure in 2014, with their state-of-the-art training base offering luxury accommodations designed to help players sleep better ahead of early kick-offs.
City are currently in seventh place, four points off the top four, and have only picked up four points from their last eight games. Everton, on the other hand, are in solid form, having beaten Wolves 4-0 and drawn with both Arsenal and Chelsea.
Guardiola remains hopeful despite the difficult situation: “This situation is new for all of us. It’s about many little details or some big details that make us not as good as we were. But we have another opportunity on Boxing Day. We have players coming back, and at a certain time, we will be better.”
To lift spirits, the club held a Christmas party for players and their families, with stars like Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan sharing the occasion with their partners. But with Everton in strong form, Guardiola knows the time for talking is over—City need a win.
