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From the world of English football developments, a significant player has been given a significant ban, a head coach has singled to a player's errors to make an argument, and the Manchester City manager has demanded backline improvements following a wild victory.

1. Mejbri Given Four-Game Suspension and Financial Penalty

Burnley's midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was given a four-match ban and a £15,000 penalty following misconduct in October's fixture versus Leeds United. The Football Association confirmed the player faced an independent disciplinary panel following allegations where he spat towards visiting fans around the 67th point of a 2-0 victory for Burnley.

A statement said: “An independent Regulatory Commission has punished the Hannibal Mejbri due to his actions during the top-flight game with Leeds of 18 October. The charge was that the player behaved in breach of the laws of the game and/or in an improper way by engaging in abusive and/or indecent behaviour through spitting at or in the area of Leeds United fans.”

It continued, “Mejbri later accepted the charge, and the panel handing down a four-match suspension and £15,000 following a hearing. The panel's written reasons for its decisions will be published in due course.” Burnley, currently in 19th place in the Premier League standings, travel to 12th-place Newcastle on Saturday.

Maresca Points to Tosin's Mistakes to Make a Point

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has argued that a lack of seasoned players is not an issue at club, pointing out that centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not prevent the 28-year-old from having poorly during a 3-1 loss against Leeds United.

Maresca, who manages the youngest team in the Premier League, rejected the idea that mentality played a part in their setback. He presented his argument by singling out Tosin, Chelsea's oldest player on the pitch, after he produced an error-strewn display at the back.

“People always talk about a lack of experience when we drop points,” Maresca stated. “When we defeated Barcelona, the draw with Arsenal, no one was mentioning older personnel. I know that if we don’t win, people are constantly looking for an explanation, but I think the reason why we didn’t win against Leeds is not because of the experience, it was because we just weren't at our best.”

Maresca continued, “Who is the most senior player for us in the match? It was Tosin. Was he good? So, it isn't related to experience. It’s about those 11 men, they were not good enough.”

Guardiola Says Defence 'Has to Improve'

The Manchester City manager has stated his team have taken lessons from a midweek thriller at Fulham with the episode has now been in the past. City held on for a 5-4 win during a incredible encounter on Tuesday, having led 5-1 with about 60 minutes gone.

This followed they fought off a comeback to win 3-2 in their previous fixture, it raised further doubts about whether they are resilient required to sustain a challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “It’s forgotten,” he said. “Valuable learnings, I hope. At this level, for every team, one must learn from what happens performances and bad things and focus on the next one.”

“Naturally I’m concerned,” he admitted. “We are trying to analyse what happened, so as not to concede so many goals. After conceding three against Leeds, and five against Fulham it shows our versions, right? Therefore, always we have done plenty of positive things. Yet the number of shots on target did Leeds have? Three? They scored two. It’s not bad. How many attempts for Fulham have? Five, six? So, our ratio of shots conceded is is high. We have to improve.”

Newcastle Focus on Livramento and Botman Contracts

Newcastle United's new football chief, Ross Wilson, has placed new deal discussions with key backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his agenda at St James’ Park. Wilson joined after leaving Nottingham Forest in October and is reassured that playmaker Sandro Tonali has a deal that runs until 2029 with an option until 2030.

That has left Wilson to focus on negotiations for Livramento and Botman's agents. Livramento's agreement set to expire in 2027 and Botman's a year later, Newcastle's talks are being treated with a certain importance.

“My first three or four days after starting is when I discovered that Sandro’s deal was much more secure than I was expecting,” said Wilson. “However, it is well known that the club would want to renew Tino’s deal and we wants to renew Sven Botman’s as well. Those discussions are ongoing.”

Head coach Eddie Howe is missing Botman for the match with Burnley on Saturday, with the defender expected to be sidelined for a further period.

5. Nuno Confirms Paquetá Returns for West Ham

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá is back to start for they play Brighton on Sunday, after serving his suspension for the sending-off against Liverpool.

“That incident is behind us,” the manager said. “I am positive it will not be repeated as he personally acknowledged his mistake. We discussed it about it in the dressing room. I am positive the matter is closed and will not happen again.”

He also understands the intense strain facing his team, who are in the relegation zone before Saturday's matches. “We can't ignore it,” he said. “It is the situation. We have to face it. We're battling for survival. We cannot hide it.”

6. Arteta Pleased with No 9 Deputy Merino

Mikel Merino may keep his place as Arsenal’s centre-forward even when their regular frontmen are fit again. The midfielder has been deployed as an emergency No 9 due to fitness issues for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored Arsenal’s opener versus Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for the second goal in a 2-0 win that maintained {their|