Pep Guardiola and “the 2 kilo rule”, the iron rule ventilated by a former Manchester City player

Every footballer knows that every coach has his own manual in which some fundamental requirements must be met – which are not only related to technique and tactics – to be considered. Obviously Pep Guardiola is no exception. It’s nothing new how demanding the team coach can be. Manchester City with the direct ones. In the last few hours, however, a curious rule has been revealed that he implements to control the physique of his subjects.

In dialogue with The voice of the coachesthe French Gaël Clichy He recalled the so-called “two kilo rule” that the Spanish coach imposed after his arrival in Manchester, and which he himself had to obey during his stay with the English team between 2011 and 2016.

“If you weighed two kilos more than what he considered your maximum weight, you didn’t train. In football you always hear coaches say: ‘If you’re overweight, you don’t train’. In the end, if that’s the case “An important player , the rule is swept under the rug because they need that player. With Pep Guardiola, if you were two kilos above the weight you should be after finishing the hard work and proper pre-season nutrition, you didn’t train. I saw players who hadn’t trained for two weeks,” explained the 38-year-old former defender.

Furthermore, the Frenchman referred to the only year he was under Guardiola: “I am grateful for what I learned under his leadership, but I would have liked it to have lasted more than one season. “He lit a spark in my way of watching football and made me want to learn even more.”

Guardiola has revolutionized English football since his arrival at City, transforming a second-tier team into the dominant team of all time. premier league. After that first season in 2016 in which he had Clichy in his squad and his team finished third, the Spanish coach built what is now a true dynasty: has won five of the last six championshipsamong other local cups and titles, and in 2023 reached the top at international level, achieving the Champions League and the recent Club World Cup, two unprecedented titles in the club’s history.

Who is Gaël Clichy?

Gaël Clichy is a 38-year-old former French footballer who played for several teams around the world, including two English giants such as Arsenal and Manchester City, where he was coached by Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola.

Last July, at the age of 38, he decided to hang up his boots to start his coaching career. He is currently part of the coaching staff of the France Under-21 national team led by French legend Thierry Henry.