Jack Grealish and Phil Foden warned about their conduct by Pep Guardiola after reportedly visiting a nightclub
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ByEurosport
Updated 21/12/2021 at 08:57 GMT
Jack Grealish has scored three goals for Manchester City this season while Foden has scored five. Neither player started in City’s emphatic victory against Newcastle on Sunday and Pep Guardiola has said his team selection for the game was not to rotate his players. The Telegraph report Guardiola was unimpressed by the duo's physical condition when they reported for training on Wednesday.
Phil Foden (L) and Jack Grealish (R)
Image credit: Getty Images
Manchester City duo Jack Grealish and Phil Foden have been warned about their conduct by manager Pep Guardiola, according to reports.
Both players were on the bench for Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday at St James’ Park.
The Telegraph reports that Grealish and Foden went on a night out following City’s 7-0 win against Leeds last Tuesday and City were not happy with the pair’s condition when they reported for a recovery session on Wednesday.
Asked why he made changes to his starting XI for the Newcastle game, Guardiola replied: “It was not rotation, no. I decided on this team because they deserved to play today, these guys and not the other ones. At Christmas time I pay a lot of attention to behaviour on and off the pitch. And when off the pitch is not proper, they are not going to play.
So we have to be focused all the time because of distractions at Christmas time and everything that happens – you have to still be focused.
In a separate interview after the victory which saw City move three points clear at the top of the Premier League table, Guardiola repeated his team selection was not to rotate but based on tactical decisions and the behaviour of his players.
“I didn’t rotate today,” he said.
“If the players believe I rotated for that game they are mistaken. I decide the best team today for the way they play. We needed a different pace for the players and that’s why they play.
“I don’t know if we are going to play Leicester [on Boxing Day], unfortunately they have a lot of [Covid] cases, hopefully they are getting better. It depends what we see in the training sessions and it depends what we see on and off the pitch - how the players behave in this period - and I will take a decision.”
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