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This week's English football developments, a significant midfielder was handed a lengthy ban, a head coach has singled to a defender's errors to make an argument, and Pep Guardiola has demanded backline improvements after a wild win.

1. Mejbri Handed Four-Match Suspension and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' midfielder Hannibal Mejbri has been handed a four-match suspension and a £15,000 penalty following misconduct in a recent fixture versus Leeds United. The governing body confirmed Mejbri was referred a separate regulatory commission after allegations where he spat towards visiting fans around the 67th point during a 2-0 win for Burnley.

An FA release explained: “A Regulatory Commission has sanctioned the Hannibal Mejbri for his actions in their Premier League match with Leeds on 18 October. The charge was that he behaved in breach of the rules of the game or in an improper way by using abusive and indecent conduct by spitting at or in the area of Leeds United fans.”

It added, “Mejbri later admitted the allegation, with the panel handing down a four-match ban and £15,000 after a hearing. The Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for the sanction are to be released at a later date.” Burnley, currently 19th in the Premier League standings, travel to 12th-place Newcastle this Saturday.

Maresca Points to Adarabioyo's Errors to Make an Argument

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has argued that a lack of seasoned players is not an issue at club, pointing out how defender Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not stop the 28-year-old from playing a bad game in the loss against Leeds United.

Maresca, who manages the most youthful squad in the Premier League, rejected the idea that mentality was a factor in the setback. He made his case by criticising Tosin, the most experienced outfield player on the pitch, after he produced a mistake-riddled display in central defence.

“People always mention experience after we drop points,” the coach stated. “After we defeated Barcelona, we drew against Arsenal, no one was talking about experienced personnel. I understand that when we don’t win, people are always looking for the reason why, but I think why we didn’t win against Leeds is not because of the experience, it’s because we just weren't good enough.”

He added, “Who is the oldest one for us in the match? It was Tosin. Did he play good? So, it’s not about his age. It’s about those 11 players, they were simply not up to standard.”

3. Guardiola Says Defensive Solidity 'Has to Improve'

The Manchester City manager has insisted his team have learnt from a midweek scare against Fulham and the episode has now been in the past. City survived to claim a 5-4 win during a remarkable encounter at Craven Cottage, after leading 5-1 with almost 60 minutes played.

Coming after they fought off a Leeds fightback to win 3-2 in the previous fixture, prompting further doubts about whether they are the defensive steel required to sustain a title challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “That game is behind us,” Guardiola commented. “Valuable learnings, I hope. At this level, at all the clubs, one must learn from what happens in the good things and bad things and think of what's next.”

“Naturally I am worried,” he admitted. “We try to understand the cause, to not concede so many goals. With the three goals against Leeds, and five goals by Fulham you can see the two sides, correct? Therefore, always we have done many positive things. Yet how many attempts did Leeds ? Three? Scored two. That ratio is bad. And attempts did Fulham have? Five, six? So the average of shots conceded is too high. We have to improve.”

Newcastle Focus New Livramento and Botman Deals

Newcastle United's recently appointed football chief, Ross Wilson, has placed new deal negotiations with important defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his agenda at St James’ Park. Wilson joined after leaving Nottingham Forest recently and was reassured that midfielder Sandro Tonali has a contract that runs to 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

That has left Wilson free to prioritise talks with Livramento and Botman's agents. With the former’s current deal set to expire in 2027 and the latter’s in 2028, the club's talks have assumed a certain urgency.

“The initial three or four days after starting is when I discovered that Sandro’s contract situation was significantly more secure than the one I was expecting,” said Wilson. “But it’s well known that the club would want to extend Tino’s deal and we would want to renew Sven Botman’s too. Those discussions are underway.”

Manager Eddie Howe will be missing Botman for the home game with Burnley this Saturday, and he expected to be sidelined for a further period.

5. Nuno Says Paquetá Will Start Against Brighton

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá will return to the starting lineup when they face Brighton on Sunday, after serving a ban following a red card he received Liverpool.

“It is in the past,” the manager said. “I am confident it won't happen again because he personally acknowledged the error. We discussed it about it in the dressing room. I believe it is over and it will not happen again.”

He also understands the significant strain facing his team, currently in the relegation zone before the weekend fixtures. “We can't ignore it,” he admitted. “It's the situation. We have to confront it. We're fighting for our top-flight status. We cannot shy away from it.”

Arteta Pleased with No 9 Deputy Merino

Mikel Merino could continue as Arsenal’s centre-forward even when the club's usual strikers are fit again. Merino has been deployed as an emergency No 9 due to fitness issues to Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored Arsenal’s first goal versus Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for their second goal during a 2-0 win which preserved {their|