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In the latest English football news, a notable midfielder was issued a substantial ban, a manager has pointed to a player's mistakes to prove a point, and Pep Guardiola has called for backline improvements after a wild victory.

Mejbri Handed Four-Game Suspension and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' player Hannibal Mejbri was issued a four-game ban and a financial fine for improper behaviour during October's fixture versus Leeds United. The Football Association said Mejbri faced a separate regulatory commission after allegations of spitting in the direction of visiting fans around the 67th mark during a 2-0 win for Burnley.

A release said: “A Regulatory Commission has punished Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri for his actions during the top-flight game with Leeds on 18 October. The charge was that the player behaved against the laws of the game and/or in an improper way and/or engaging in abusive and/or unacceptable conduct by spitting towards the direction of Leeds United fans.”

It added, “Mejbri subsequently accepted the allegation, and the panel handing down a four-game suspension and a fine following proceedings. The panel's written reasons for its decisions will be published at a later date.” The team, currently 19th in the Premier League table, travel to 12th-placed Newcastle on Saturday.

2. Maresca Singles Out Tosin's Errors to Prove a Point

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has argued that a lack of seasoned players is no a problem for his team, pointing out that centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not prevent him from playing a bad game in the loss to Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who oversees the youngest team in the division, rejected the idea that mentality was a factor in the poor result. He made his argument by singling out Tosin, the most experienced outfield player on the pitch, who delivered an error-strewn display at the back.

“We always talk about experience after we drop points,” Maresca stated. “When we defeated Barcelona, the draw with Arsenal, nobody was talking about older personnel. I know that when we lose, people are constantly looking for the reason why, but in my view the reason why we didn’t win against Leeds is not because of the experience, it was because we just weren't good enough.”

He added, “Who was the most senior player for us in the match? It was Tosin. Did he play good? Therefore, it isn't related to his age. It’s about those 11 men, they were not up to standard.”

Guardiola Insists Defence 'Has to Get Better'

Pep Guardiola has insisted his team have learnt from a recent scare against Fulham with the game is now in the past. The team survived for a 5-4 win during a incredible clash at Craven Cottage, having led 5-1 with about 60 minutes gone.

Coming after they fought off a fightback to win 3-2 in the previous game, it raised further doubts regarding whether City are resilient enough to sustain a title challenge to leaders Arsenal. “It’s forgotten,” Guardiola commented. “Valuable lessons, hopefully. In the Premier League, for every team, you have to 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 what happened, so as not to concede so many goals. After conceding three against Leeds, and five goals by Fulham you can see our sides, right? Therefore, always we have done plenty of good things. Yet the number of attempts did Leeds ? Three? Scored two. That ratio is bad. How many attempts for Fulham have? Five, six? So, the average of shots conceded we can see is high. We must be better.”

4. Newcastle Prioritise New Defenders' Contracts

The Magpies' recently appointed sporting director, Ross Wilson, has made contract discussions involving important defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his agenda at St James’ Park. Wilson joined from Nottingham Forest recently and is reassured that midfielder Sandro Tonali is on a deal extending until 2029 with an option until 2030.

That has left Wilson to focus on negotiations for Livramento and Botman's representatives. With the former’s current deal ending in 2027 and Botman's in 2028, the club's talks are being treated with some importance.

“My first few days after starting is when I found that Sandro’s deal is significantly more secure than the one I was expecting,” said Wilson. “However, it is no secret that we would want to renew Tino’s contract and we wants to renew Sven Botman’s as well. These talks are underway.”

Manager Eddie Howe will be without Botman against the match against Burnley on Saturday, and he likely to remain sidelined for at least a further period.

5. Nuno Says Paquetá Will Start for West Ham

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá will return to start for the side play Brighton this Sunday, after serving his suspension for the red card he received Liverpool.

“That incident is behind us,” the manager said. “I am confident it won't be repeated as he personally admitted his mistake. We discussed it internally. I am positive the matter is closed and it will not happen again.”

Nuno also acknowledged the significant pressure on his side, currently 18th ahead of Saturday's matches. “We cannot ignore it,” he admitted. “It's the situation. We have to face it. We're battling for our top-flight status. We can't shy away from it.”

Arteta Impressed by Striker Deputy Merino

Mikel Merino could continue leading the line for Arsenal centre-forward even when their regular frontmen are fit again. Merino has been deployed as a makeshift No 9 because of injuries to Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Merino found the net for the first goal versus Brentford and set up Bukayo Saka for the second in a 2-0 win that maintained {their|