Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has ordered his players to stay at the Etihad Campus training facilities on Christmas night in an effort to tackle their concerning decline in performance. The Premier League champions are set to face Everton at 12:30 pm on Boxing Day, hoping to break a tough streak of just one win in their last 12 matches in all competitions. City players usually stay together the night before home games, and Guardiola is keen to stick to this routine even during the holiday season. The players will spend Christmas morning with their families before returning to the training ground for an evening session and overnight stay. “We train today (Tuesday), we train tomorrow (Wednesday) night, we will stay over here, and we are going to play on Boxing Day,” Guardiola explained. When asked if his players might be unhappy about spending Christmas night at the facility, the Spaniard responded straightforwardly, “Hopefully, they want to be here because it’s our job.”
Â
