Man City Players Forced To Sleep And TRAIN On Christmas Day Amid Recent Poor Form.

Manchester City’s players have been FORCED to sleep at the training ground on the 24th and 25th December in preparation for their lunchtime Boxing Day’s match at home to Everton. 

According to reports, Man City's manager Pep Guardiola has forced his players to spend the Christmas night at the Etihad Campus training facilities as he seeks for a way out of their alarming dip in form.

The Premier League champions host Everton at 1:30 pm on Boxing Day, with the team still struggling to reverse its poor form of just one win in their last 12 matches across all competitions.

City players traditionally stay together the evening before home fixtures, and Guardiola is determined not to deviate from their routine despite the festive season.

Players spent Christmas morning with their families before regrouping at the training ground for an evening session and overnight stay.

The teams captain Kyle Walker had earlier revealed to the BBC that the team will be training on December 25, ahead of their Boxing Day match against Everton.

Walker acknowledged that the team had enjoyed Christmas Day off in previous seasons, but this year's schedule demands a more rigorous approach.

"We're gonna train on Christmas Day this season, we've got Everton at 1:30pm on Boxing Day," He said.

When asked whether his players might mind spending Christmas night at the training ground, Pep Guardiola replied the media bluntly ahead of the game, explaining the unusual step.“Hopefully, they want to be here because it’s our job.

“We train today [Tuesday Christmas Eve] and train tomorrow [Wednesday] night. Stay over here and play on Boxing Day. They will have been with the families for two days. Today home with the families, tomorrow home with the families. Hopefully they want to be here.

He was also asked for the reasons behind Erling Haaland's lack of goal scoring form: "It's about us, not just one player. When Erling was prolific, it's because of the team. Erling is important for us and we will try to use him better."