Manchester City Aims for Continued Success as Guardiola Enforces Discipline

omidbasir- Manchester City is positioned as a strong contender to enhance their trophy collection this season, having achieved an impressive eight-game winning streak. This form has brought them within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal, while they also hold fourth place in the Champions League standings.

After securing back-to-back victories against Leeds United and Fulham, where they scored six goals in total, the ten-time champions have demonstrated significant improvement. They have maintained five clean sheets in their last six wins across all competitions.

City’s defensive prowess has been evident as they successfully kept high-performing teams such as Sunderland, Crystal Palace, and struggling West Ham United at bay in the league. Additionally, they prevented Brentford from scoring during their journey to the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

The only goal conceded by City this month occurred during a Champions League match against Spanish giants Real Madrid on December 10, where they won 2-1. Brazil international Rodrygo opened the scoring, but City turned the match around with goals from Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland.

As City builds momentum heading into 2026, head coach Pep Guardiola has emphasized the importance of maintaining peak fitness levels, particularly with the challenging part of the 2025-26 campaign approaching. He warned players that those returning from the holiday festivities unfit would miss the upcoming match against Nottingham Forest.

Guardiola stated, “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. Imagine one player who is perfect now but returns three kilos heavier. He will stay in Manchester and not travel to Nottingham Forest.”

Known for his strict approach to fitness, Guardiola declined players’ requests to skip their training session last Sunday following a lackluster performance against West Ham. He explained, “They asked me to have Sunday’s training session off, and I said no, because they didn’t play well enough. So, Sunday is for recovery, training the players who didn’t participate, and then they have two days to prepare for Nottingham Forest.”

Guardiola also acknowledged the necessity of offering his squad time off, stating, “I’ve learned from England; as many days as you can give them off, you should. The schedule is demanding, and players need to recharge. They will be fresh for the next game.”

In a light-hearted exchange reflecting Guardiola’s influence, Erling Haaland humorously assured his readiness for the match against Forest. On Christmas Day, the Premier League’s leading goalscorer posted a picture of himself on a scale, captioning it, “All good!!”

This playful message encapsulates the camaraderie between Haaland and Guardiola, as the two often share smiles after matches. Following Haaland’s decisive goal in a 1-0 victory over Brentford in October, Guardiola remarked, “I told him to keep going. He has been so important for us this season.”

Haaland will be eager to continue his scoring form as City prepares to face a Nottingham Forest side that has won three of their last six league games under manager Sean Dyche.