The squatter in the Premier League is scheduled for Wednesday evening between Manchester City and Arsenal. Someone who played for both clubs is Samir Nasri. The midfielder worked at Arsenal with Mikel Arteta and ended up under the wings of Josep Guardiola at City. However, the relationship with the latter did not always go smoothly, as Nasri explained in conversation with L’Equipe.
It was Guardiola who decided in the summer of 2016 to leave Nasri out of the squad for two friendly matches in China. The midfielder had been active for City for five years when the Spaniard was appointed. Nasri was expelled not much later after returning from a holiday too heavy. It resulted in a loan spell to Sevilla after playing just one match under Guardiola. In the summer of 2017, a final departure to Antalyaspor followed.
“From our first meetings, I went into it with him,” Nasri recalled in conversation with L’Equipe. “He invited me to his office and asked, ‘What do you want to do?’ I said it was up to him to decide if he was counting on me, and he replied, “I’m counting on you if you’re mentally strong.” Then I started training, everything went well, he was happy with me, and suddenly he started yelling about my weight. We had to weigh ourselves every day. I told him not to yell like that. I’m not a child. I’m 29 years old .”
Nasri experienced his vacation as an escape. The Frenchman had to miss four months in the 2015/16 season due to a lingering hamstring injury and also experienced a lot in his private life. Gael Clichy later revealed that Guardiola did not want anyone in his team over 100 pounds. “He wanted players to be thin and physical,” said Nasri. “I gained four kilos more than usual. But with Guardiola you don’t train with the group if you are 2.5 kilos overweight. So I trained alone. He also forbade players to have sex after midnight. It is impossible to good football if you don’t have sex.”
Arteta
His relationship with Arteta is a lot more pleasant. It comes as no surprise to Nasri that the manager of Arsenal has caught the upward trend. “In his first year as a trainer he was still too much of a player. He trained with us. After that he took more responsibility. He explained the exercises very well and came across as a passionate person who knew his profession. I’m not surprised what he shows today. As a player he was already a real leader in the field.” The game between City and Arsenal starts on Wednesday at 9 p.m. The lead of the Gunners is five points with two games more.
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