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From the world of English football news, a notable midfielder was given a lengthy ban, a head coach has singled out a defender's errors to make an argument, and the Manchester City manager has demanded backline betterment after a chaotic victory.

1. Mejbri Issued Four-Match Ban and Financial Penalty

Burnley's player Hannibal Mejbri was handed a four-match ban and a £15,000 fine following misconduct during October's fixture versus Leeds United. The Football Association said the player was referred a separate disciplinary panel after allegations where he spat towards visiting supporters at the 67th mark during a 2-0 victory by Burnley.

A statement read: “An independent Regulatory Commission has sanctioned the Hannibal Mejbri for misconduct during the Premier League game with Leeds of 18 October. The charge was that the player behaved against the laws of football or in a poor way and/or engaging in abusive and/or indecent conduct through spitting towards the area of Leeds United fans.”

It added, “Mejbri later admitted the allegation, with the Regulatory Commission imposed a four-match ban and £15,000 after a hearing. The Regulatory Commission’s full explanation for its decisions are to be released at a later date.” Burnley, currently 19th in the Premier League standings, visit 12th-placed Newcastle this Saturday.

Maresca Singles Out Adarabioyo's Errors to Make a Point

The Blues' manager Enzo Maresca has argued that not having experience is no an issue at team, pointing out that centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not prevent him from playing poorly during a 3-1 loss to Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who manages the youngest squad in the Premier League, rejected the idea that mentality played a part in the poor result. He presented his case by criticising Tosin, Chelsea's most experienced player on the pitch, who delivered a mistake-riddled performance at the back.

“People always talk about a lack of experience when we drop points,” the coach stated. “When we defeated Barcelona, we drew against Arsenal, no one was talking about experienced personnel. I know that if we lose, we are constantly searching for an explanation, but I think the reason why we didn’t win to Leeds was not down to inexperience, it was because we just weren't at our best.”

He added, “Who is the oldest one for us on the pitch? Who was? Was he good? Therefore, it’s not about his age. It's that those 11 players, they were simply not good enough.”

Guardiola Says Defence 'Has to Get Better'

Pep Guardiola has insisted the champions have taken lessons from a midweek scare at Fulham with the episode has now been forgotten. City held on for a 5-4 victory in a remarkable encounter at Craven Cottage, having led 5-1 with about 60 minutes played.

This followed they resisted a comeback and won 3-2 in the prior fixture, it raised further doubts about whether City are resilient required to sustain a challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “That game is behind us,” he commented. “Good lessons, I hope. At this level, for every team, one must learn from both good and bad performances and results and focus on the next one.”

“Of course I’m concerned,” Guardiola added. “We are trying to understand the cause, to not concede the goals. With the three goals by Leeds, and five by Fulham it shows the two versions, correct? So, always done plenty of positive things. Yet how many attempts had Leeds ? Three? They scored two. That ratio is good. And shots on target did Fulham ? Five, six? So the average of chances conceded is too high. We must improve.”

4. Newcastle Prioritise New Defenders' Deals

The Magpies' recently appointed sporting director, Ross Wilson, has made new deal discussions with key defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his to-do list at St James’ Park. He joined after leaving Nottingham Forest in October and was pleased to learn playmaker Sandro Tonali is on a contract extending to 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

That has left Wilson to prioritise talks for Livramento and Botman's representatives. With the former’s agreement ending in 2027 and the latter’s a year later, the club's talks have assumed some urgency.

“The initial few days after starting was when I found that Sandro’s contract situation was significantly more secure than the one I was expecting,” he stated. “But it’s no secret that the club would want to extend Tino’s deal and we would want to extend Sven Botman’s too. Those discussions are ongoing.”

Manager Eddie Howe will be missing Botman against the home game with Burnley this Saturday, and he likely to be out for at least a further period.

Nuno Confirms Paquetá Returns Against Brighton

The Hammers' head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that Lucas Paquetá is back to the starting lineup for they face Brighton this Sunday, after serving his suspension following a sending-off he received Liverpool.

“That incident is behind us,” the manager said. “I am positive it will not be repeated because he personally acknowledged the error. We spoke in the dressing room. I believe the matter is closed and will not be repeated.”

Nuno also understands the intense strain facing his team, who are 18th ahead of the weekend matches. “We can't avoid it,” he said. “It is a reality. We must confront it. We are fighting for our top-flight status. We cannot hide it.”

Arteta Impressed by No 9 Stand-in Merino

The Spanish midfielder could continue as Arsenal’s centre-forward despite the club's usual strikers return from injury. Merino has been deployed as an emergency No 9 because of injuries for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Merino found the net for Arsenal’s opener versus Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for the second goal during a 2-0 victory that maintained {their|