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This week's English football news, a notable player has been handed a significant suspension, a manager has singled out a player's mistakes to prove an argument, and Pep Guardiola has called for defensive improvements after a chaotic win.

Mejbri Handed Four-Game Ban and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' midfielder Hannibal Mejbri has been given a four-game ban and a £15,000 fine following improper behaviour in a recent fixture versus Leeds United. The governing body said the player faced a separate disciplinary panel after allegations of spitting in the direction of away fans at the 67th point of a 2-0 win by Burnley.

An FA release said: “An independent Regulatory Commission has sanctioned the Hannibal Mejbri due to his actions during the Premier League game against Leeds on 18 October. The charge was that the player acted against the laws of the game and/or in a poor manner by engaging in abusive and/or unacceptable behaviour by spitting at or in the direction of Leeds United supporters.”

It added, “Mejbri later admitted the allegation, and the Regulatory Commission handing down a four-game suspension and a fine following proceedings. The panel's full explanation for the sanction are to be released in due course.” The team, currently 19th in the table, travel to 12th-place Newcastle this Saturday.

Maresca Points to Adarabioyo's Errors to Make an Argument

The Blues' head coach Enzo Maresca has stated that a lack of seasoned players is not an issue for his team, highlighting how defender Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not prevent the 28-year-old from playing poorly during the defeat against Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who oversees the youngest team in the Premier League, rejected the idea that mentality played a part in the poor result. He presented his argument by singling out Tosin, the oldest outfield player in the lineup, after he delivered an error-strewn performance in central defence.

“People always mention a lack of experience after we drop points,” the coach stated. “When we defeated Barcelona, the draw against Arsenal, no one was mentioning experienced players. I know that when we don’t win, people are always looking for the reason why, but in my view why we didn’t win against Leeds was not down to the experience, it was because we were not good enough.”

He added, “Who is the oldest one on our team on the pitch? It was Tosin. Did he play any good? Therefore, it’s not about experience. It's that those 11 men, they were not good enough.”

3. Guardiola Says Defence 'Must Improve'

The Manchester City manager has stated his team have taken lessons from their midweek thriller against Fulham with the game has now been in the past. City held on for a 5-4 victory during a remarkable encounter on Tuesday, having led 5-1 with about an hour played.

Coming after they resisted a comeback to win 3-2 in the previous game, it raised more questions regarding whether City are the defensive steel required to mount a challenge to leaders Arsenal. “It’s forgotten,” he said. “Good lessons, I hope. In the Premier League, at all the clubs, you have to learn from both good and bad in the good things and bad things and focus on the next one.”

“Naturally I am worried,” he admitted. “We are trying to analyse the cause, so as not to concede so many goals. After conceding three scored by Leeds, and five goals against Fulham it shows the two sides, correct? Therefore, we have we have done many positive things. Yet the number of shots on target had Leeds have? Three? Scored two. That ratio is good. And attempts did Fulham have? Five, six? So the average of chances conceded is is high. We have to improve.”

4. Newcastle Prioritise New Defenders' Deals

The Magpies' recently appointed football chief, Ross Wilson, has made new deal discussions involving important defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his to-do list for the club. Wilson arrived from Nottingham Forest in October and was pleased to learn playmaker Sandro Tonali is on a deal extending to 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

This allows Wilson free to prioritise talks with Livramento and Botman's representatives. With the former’s current deal set to expire in 2027 and Botman's a year later, Newcastle's talks are being treated with some urgency.

“The initial few days after starting was when I found that Sandro’s contract situation is much better than I had thought,” said Wilson. “But it’s well known that we wishes to extend Tino’s contract and we would want to renew Sven Botman’s too. Those discussions are underway.”

Manager Eddie Howe is without Botman against the match with Burnley this Saturday, with the defender expected to remain sidelined for at least another week.

5. Nuno Says Paquetá Returns for West Ham

The Hammers' head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá is back to start for the side face Brighton on Sunday, after serving a ban following a red card against Liverpool.

“It is in the past,” the manager remarked. “I am positive it will not happen again as he himself admitted his mistake. We discussed it internally. I am positive the matter is closed and it will not happen again.”

Nuno also acknowledged the intense strain facing his team, who are in the relegation zone before Saturday's matches. “We cannot avoid it,” he admitted. “It is the situation. We must confront it. We're battling for survival. We can't hide it.”

Arteta Impressed by No 9 Stand-in Merino

Mikel Merino could continue leading the line for Arsenal central striker even when their regular frontmen return from injury. Merino has been playing as an emergency number nine due to injuries for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored the opener against Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for the second goal during a 2-0 win that maintained {their|