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In the latest top-flight developments, a significant player has been issued a significant suspension, a head coach has pointed to a defender's errors to make an argument, and the Manchester City manager has demanded backline improvements after an erratic win.

Mejbri Given Four-Game Ban and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' midfielder Hannibal Mejbri has been handed a four-match suspension and a £15,000 fine following misconduct in a recent match versus Leeds United. The Football Association said Mejbri faced an independent disciplinary panel after allegations where he spat in the direction of visiting fans at the 67-minute point of a 2-0 win by Burnley.

A release said: “A Regulatory Commission has sanctioned the Hannibal Mejbri due to misconduct during the top-flight match with Leeds of 18 October. The charge was that the player behaved in breach of the laws of football or in a poor way and/or using abusive and/or indecent conduct by spitting towards the area of Leeds United supporters.”

The statement continued, “Mejbri subsequently accepted the charge, with the Regulatory Commission handing down a four-game ban and a fine after proceedings. The panel's written reasons for its decisions are to be released at a later date.” Burnley, now 19th in the Premier League table, visit 12th-placed Newcastle on Saturday.

Maresca Singles Out Adarabioyo's Mistakes to Make a Point

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has argued that a lack of seasoned players is no a problem for his club, pointing out how centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not prevent the 28-year-old from playing poorly in the loss against Leeds United.

Maresca, who manages the most youthful team in the Premier League, rejected the idea that inexperience played a part in their setback. He presented his case by singling out Tosin, Chelsea's most experienced player on the pitch, after he delivered an error-strewn performance in central defence.

“People always talk about experience when we drop points,” Maresca stated. “When we defeated Barcelona, we drew with Arsenal, no one was talking about experienced players. I understand that if we lose, people are always searching for the reason why, but I think why we lost against Leeds is not because of the experience, it’s because we were not at our best.”

He added, “Who was the most senior player for us on the pitch? It was Tosin. Was he any good? So, it’s not about experience. It’s about those 11 players, they were not up to standard.”

Guardiola Insists Defence 'Must Get Better'

The Manchester City manager has insisted the champions have taken lessons from their recent thriller against Fulham and the episode is now in the past. City survived to claim a 5-4 victory in a incredible encounter at Craven Cottage, after leading 5-1 with almost 60 minutes played.

Coming after they fought off a comeback to win 3-2 in the previous fixture, it raised further doubts regarding if City are resilient enough to mount a title challenge to leaders Arsenal. “It’s forgotten,” he commented. “Valuable lessons, hopefully. In the Premier League, at all the clubs, one must learn from what happens performances and bad things and think of the next one.”

“Naturally I’m concerned,” Guardiola added. “We try to analyse what happened, to not allow the goals. With the three goals scored by Leeds, and the five against Fulham it shows the two sides, right? Therefore, always done plenty of good things. But how many attempts did Leeds ? Three? They scored two. That ratio is good. And shots on target for Fulham have? Five, six? So, our ratio of chances conceded is too high. We have to improve.”

Newcastle Prioritise on Livramento and Botman Contracts

Newcastle United's new football chief, Ross Wilson, has made contract negotiations with key defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his to-do list for the club. He joined from Nottingham Forest in October and is pleased that playmaker Sandro Tonali is on a contract that runs to 2029 with an option until 2030.

This allows Wilson free to prioritise negotiations for 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 are being treated with some importance.

“The initial three or four days after starting is when I found that Sandro’s contract situation was significantly more secure than I had thought,” he stated. “But it’s well known that we wishes to renew Tino’s deal and we would want to extend Sven Botman’s too. Those discussions are ongoing.”

Head coach Eddie Howe will be missing Botman for the home game with Burnley on Saturday, with the defender likely to remain out for at least another week.

Nuno Confirms Paquetá Returns Against Brighton

The Hammers' head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá is back to the starting lineup for the side face Brighton on Sunday, having completed his suspension following a red card against Liverpool.

“That incident is behind us,” the manager remarked. “I am confident it won't be repeated because he himself admitted his mistake. We discussed it about it internally. I am positive the matter is closed and it will not be repeated.”

He also understands the significant pressure on his side, currently 18th before Saturday's fixtures. “We can't ignore it,” he said. “It is the situation. We must face it. We are battling for survival. We can't hide it.”

Arteta Impressed by No 9 Stand-in Merino

Mikel Merino could continue as Arsenal’s central striker despite their regular frontmen are fit again. Merino has been deployed as an emergency No 9 because of fitness issues for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

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