Guardiola Warns Manchester City Players of Christmas Sacrifices

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says players must make sacrifices over Christmas, with a busy schedule of training and matches.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has refused to single out struggling striker Erling Haaland for the team's recent poor form. Instead, Guardiola emphasized that the responsibility for the dismal run, which has seen City secure just one win in their last eight Premier League games, lies with the entire team.

Guardiola's comments come as City find themselves seventh in the standings, a significant 12 points adrift of leaders Liverpool. The team's slump has coincided with a noticeable decline in Haaland's goal-scoring form, with the Norwegian striker managing just two goals in recent games, a stark contrast to the 10 goals he scored in City's opening five matches.

“It's about us, it's not just about one player,” Guardiola told a press conference ahead of Thursday's game with Everton.

“So when in the past we scored goals and Erling was so prolific in helping us, it's because of the team. And when you have problems at the back, in the middle, it's for everyone.

“If it was just one player, the reason why, it would be easy. It's not about that. Erling is so important for us, will be so important for us, has been, and we try to do the things better, to use him better.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is still uncertain about the availability of John Stones, Matheus Nunes, and Ederson for their upcoming match against Everton. While Guardiola was unable to identify a single reason behind City's poor run of form, he expressed optimism about the team's potential return to form in the near future.

Guardiola acknowledged the tendency to oversimplify the reasons behind City's struggles, but he refused to make excuses or pinpoint a single culprit. “All the tendency to say we don't run, we don't fight, the reason why is this one, this situation or this player or this manager or this,” Guardiola said, highlighting the complexity of the issue and the need for a more nuanced understanding.

“It's not about that. It's many little details or big details that all together make us not as good as we were.

“But we have another opportunity on Boxing Day to try and win time for the players to come back and in a certain time we'll be better.”

Despite sitting 15th in the standings, 11 points adrift of Manchester City, Everton boasts a surprisingly robust defensive record, having kept five clean sheets in their last six games. This impressive defensive solidity has caught the attention of City manager Pep Guardiola, who acknowledged the Toffees' strengths ahead of their upcoming match.

Guardiola praised Everton's defensive structure under manager Sean Dyche, highlighting their ability to execute effective defensive patterns and transitions. “Sean Dyche always has a really good defensive structure, really good patterns defensively, offensively,” Guardiola said. He also noted that Everton's defensive prowess is not limited to specific opponents, citing their impressive performances against top-tier teams like Arsenal and Chelsea. “And when they are able to do it against Arsenal and Chelsea, that means they are really good because they have good transitions and of course at set-pieces, long balls, they are really, really strong,” Guardiola added.

Manchester City players will have a brief opportunity to spend time with their families over Christmas, but their festive break will be cut short due to their upcoming match on December 26. Manager Pep Guardiola outlined the team's hectic schedule, highlighting the sacrifices the players must make.

“We train today, we train tomorrow night. We stay over here and we are going to play on Boxing Day,” Guardiola explained. While the players will have some time at home, their Christmas celebrations will be curtailed. “Today we'll be at home with the families and tomorrow we'll be with the families during the morning and the night we'll be here,” Guardiola said. He emphasized that this is simply part of their job, stating, “Hopefully they want to be here because it's our job and our duty.”