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In the latest English football news, a significant midfielder has been handed a lengthy ban, a manager has pointed out a defender's mistakes to make a point, and Pep Guardiola has called for defensive improvements following a wild victory.

Mejbri Issued Four-Game Suspension and Fine

Burnley's player Hannibal Mejbri has been given a four-match ban and a £15,000 fine following misconduct during October's fixture versus Leeds United. The governing body confirmed the player faced a separate regulatory commission following an incident where he spat towards away fans at the 67th mark during a 2-0 victory for Burnley.

A release read: “A disciplinary panel has punished the Hannibal Mejbri for his actions in their top-flight game with Leeds of 18 October. It was alleged that the player acted against the rules of the game and/or in an improper way and/or engaging in abusive and/or indecent behaviour by spitting towards the direction of Leeds United supporters.”

It continued, “Mejbri later admitted the allegation, with the panel imposed a four-game suspension and £15,000 following proceedings. The Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for the sanction are to be released at a later date.” The team, now in 19th place in the Premier League table, travel to 12th-place Newcastle this Saturday.

Maresca Singles Out Tosin's Mistakes to Make an Argument

The Blues' manager Enzo Maresca has argued that not having experience is not a problem at team, highlighting how centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not prevent him from playing poorly during the loss to Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who oversees the most youthful team in the division, does not feel that mentality was a factor in the setback. He made his argument by criticising Tosin, the oldest outfield player on the pitch, after he produced a mistake-riddled performance in central defence.

“We always talk about experience when we drop points,” the coach said. “When we beat Barcelona, the draw with Arsenal, no one was mentioning older players. I know that when we lose, people are constantly looking for an explanation, but in my view why we lost against Leeds is not because of the experience, it was because we just weren't good enough.”

Maresca continued, “Who is the oldest one on our team in the match? Who was? Did he play good? So, it’s not about experience. It's that those 11 men, they were not up to standard.”

3. Guardiola Insists Defence 'Has to Improve'

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

Coming after they fought off a fightback to win 3-2 in their previous fixture, it raised further doubts about whether they possess resilient enough to sustain a title challenge to leaders Arsenal. “It’s behind us,” he said. “Good learnings, hopefully. In the Premier League, at all the clubs, one must take onboard what happens performances and results and focus on the next one.”

“Naturally I’m concerned,” he admitted. “We try to understand the cause, so as not to concede so many goals. With the three goals scored against Leeds, and five by Fulham you can see the two versions, correct? Therefore, always we have done many positive things. But the number of attempts had Leeds have? Three? They scored two. It’s not good. And shots on target did Fulham ? Five, six? So the average of shots conceded is too high. We must be better.”

Newcastle Prioritise New Livramento and Botman Contracts

The Magpies' recently appointed football chief, Ross Wilson, has made contract discussions involving important backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his to-do list at St James’ Park. He joined from Nottingham Forest recently and is reassured that midfielder Sandro Tonali has a contract that runs until 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

This allows Wilson to focus on negotiations with Livramento and Botman's agents. Livramento's agreement set to expire in 2027 and Botman's in 2028, Newcastle's efforts are being treated with some importance.

“My first few days in the job is when I found that Sandro’s contract situation was significantly more secure than the one I had thought,” said Wilson. “But it’s no secret that the club wishes to extend Tino’s contract and also wants to extend Sven Botman’s as well. These talks are underway.”

Manager Eddie Howe is without Botman for the home game with Burnley on Saturday, with the defender likely to remain out for a further period.

5. Nuno Says Paquetá Returns for West Ham

The Hammers' head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that Lucas Paquetá is back to start for they face Brighton this Sunday, after serving a ban for the sending-off against Liverpool.

“That incident is in the past,” Nuno remarked. “I am positive it will not be repeated because he personally admitted his mistake. We discussed it about it internally. I believe it is over and it will not be repeated.”

Nuno also understands the significant strain on his side, currently in the relegation zone before the weekend fixtures. “We can't avoid it,” he said. “It's the situation. We have to face it. We are battling for our top-flight status. We cannot shy away from it.”

6. Arteta Impressed by Striker Deputy Merino

The Spanish midfielder could continue as Arsenal’s centre-forward even when their regular strikers are fit again. The midfielder has been deployed as a makeshift number nine due to injuries for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Merino found the net for Arsenal’s opener versus Brentford and set up Bukayo Saka for the second goal in a 2-0 win which preserved {their|