Pep Guardiola: Premier League: Former French international Samir Nasri, who rose to prominence at Arsenal and made headlines for his move to Manchester City in 2011, revealed how he had a heated row with Pep Guardiola for being called out for putting on weight. Follow Premier League LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
The Frenchman played for City between 2011-2017 and won the Premier League twice. Nasri spent the 2016–17 season under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, as he revealed how Guardiola criticised him for his weight and scolded him to which the player retorted back, telling the City boss, ‘Don’t yell at me, I’m not a child.’
Guardiola didn’t hold back and immediately froze him out of first-team football resulting in the Frenchman leaving Etihad on a loan deal at Sevilla.
Speaking to L’Equipe, Nasri recalled his first few days under the Catalan coach, stating, ‘I went into it with him from our first meetings.
Samir Nasri on #MCIARS:
“City are reaching the peak of their form at the right moment, with all of their players being available for the run-in, unlike previous years. Meanwhile, Arsenal are slowing down, having been in the lead virtually all season. Sometimes, when you’re so… pic.twitter.com/9e9H9S8SaF
— City Chief (@City_Chief) April 26, 2023
‘On the first day, he summoned me to his office and asked me: What do you want to do?’
‘I tell him: “It’s up to you to tell me if you’re counting on me.” He replied: “I’m counting on you if you’re really well in the head.’
‘Then I do my first training, everything is going well, he is happy with me. The next day, Pep summons me again and there he yells at me about my weight.’
‘He found out because we were weighed every day. There, I said to him: Reduce your voice, don’t yell at me, I’m not a child, I’m 29 years old.’
‘Maybe my holiday was an escape for me, a time to do what I wanted to do because I was coming out of a difficult season [a hamstring injury kept him sidelined for four months in 2015-16] and because in my personal life a lot of things happened.’
‘And there, Pep answers me: “It’s true, I’m sorry.’
Nasri only made one appearance for the Spanish boss, and he has admitted that they did not get along from the start.
