"Pep Guardiola arrived on English shores in the summer of 2016, preparing to take over from previous Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini. The Spaniard inherited a talented squad that had finished fourth in the Premier League table during 2015-16, beaten to the title by Leicester City. City chiefs sought out the man widely regarded as the world's best coach and put him to work in Manchester. The rest, as they say, is history."
"Recalling that time, ex-City full-back Gael Clichy remembers Guardiola's exacting standards and how players were under no illusions straight away as to what the Champions League winner would deem acceptable. Guardiola has commented publicly on players' weight before, most notably Kalvin Phillips, who arrived from Leeds United in the summer of 2022. Kalvin Phillips on England duty, 2021 Clichy says Guardiola banished three major first-team players from the group on day one of City's pre-season training ahead of the 2016-17 campaign."
"He was so different and he might have been unique but every player would sit there and listen to him. I think we all thought that he had said a lot and it was the time to back it up because we'd heard about some of things he'd done, particularly around players being overweight, but we sort of wanted proof of it."
Pep Guardiola arrived in England in the summer of 2016 to replace Manuel Pellegrini and inherited a talented Manchester City squad that had finished fourth in 2015-16. He arrived with a strong reputation for demanding standards and immediate results. Ex-City full-back Gael Clichy recalls Guardiola enforcing exacting rules and removing three major first-team players from the group on day one of pre-season. Guardiola has publicly commented on player weight, notably in relation to Kalvin Phillips. Players listened to his methods and expected to win. Manchester City subsequently accumulated multiple Premier League titles, domestic cups, and a Champions League.
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