Dutch fitness coach Raymond Verheijen has advised Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to tone down the intensity of his training methods.

Guardiola, who took charge of Manchester City in the summer, is known for his demanding sessions in training.




The Citizens started the season in spectacular fashion under the Spaniard, winning their opening 10 games in all competitions before drawing 3-3 with Celtic in the Champions League at the end of September.

Tottenham Hotspur then handed Manchester City their first loss of the season after beating them 2-0 in a top-of-the-table Premier League clash last weekend.
 


And Verheijen thinks Guardiola, who is enjoying his first managerial assignment in England, should alter his training methods to cope with the demands of the Premier League.

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The Dutchman went on to warn Guardiola that the Manchester City players may struggle towards the end of the present campaign if the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss sticks to his current training regime.

“Why do intelligent coaches like Pep not understand that players need more recovery time between demanding EPL games?” he tweeted.

“More fatigue during the games means longer recovery time after the game to get rid of this fatigue and to regain freshness for the next game.

“Pep should adjust his methods to the demanding EPL. This means he should reduce the intensity/fatigue of his training sessions between games.

“If Pep refuses to adjust to these specific circumstances, it's very likely the Man City players will struggle in last months of this season.

“In the 4 seasons before Pep, Bayern Munich reached 3 Champions League finals. In the 3 seasons with Pep, Bayern only reached the semi finals.

“Proven top coaches like Guardiola should understand intense training will exhaust players who have to perform 1-2x per week for 10 months.”

Manchester City, who are one point clear at the top of the Premier League table, will next face Everton after the international break on 15th October.