Pep’s injury record

Manchester City struggled with injuries last season, while Bayern Munich had problems throughout Pep Guardiola’s tenure. Can the Catalan find a solution this term?

Pep Guardiola is doing all he can to ensure his Manchester City players are in peak physical condition for the Premier League season ahead.

The former Bayern Munich boss has banned pizza, fruit juice and various “heavy foods” from the players’ diets, and Gael Clichy has revealed they are not allowed to train with the rest of the squad if they are overweight.

“For me, the weight is so, so important,” said Guardiola last week. “We need to run, to fight, to jump, to have the ball. After three days, then another three days, then another three days. When you are not fit and your weight is not proper, danger is coming.”

Manchester City, of course, know all about the dangers posed by injuries. They suffered 78 of them last season, according to PhysioRoom.com, the fifth-highest total in the Premier League.

City lost 12 first-team players for four Premier League games over the course of the campaign, with key players Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero missing 23, 14, seven and six games respectively.

The injuries proved costly, with City ending the season 15 points behind Premier League champions Leicester in fourth place. It was their lowest finish since 2009/10, and Manuel Pellegrini frequently bemoaned their fitness issues. “It is difficult when don’t have your whole squad and you have an average of six or seven players injured every game,” he said in December.

Guardiola is …

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