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This week's English football developments, a key midfielder was given a significant 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.

1. Mejbri Issued Four-Match Ban and Financial Penalty

Burnley's player Hannibal Mejbri was given a four-game ban and a financial fine following misconduct in October's fixture versus Leeds United. The Football Association stated Mejbri was referred a separate disciplinary panel following allegations where he spat towards visiting supporters at the 67th mark during a 2-0 win for Burnley.

A release read: “An independent Regulatory Commission has punished the Hannibal Mejbri due to misconduct in the top-flight game against Leeds of 18 October. It was alleged that he acted in breach of the laws of the game or in a poor way by engaging in abusive and indecent conduct by spitting towards the area of Leeds United supporters.”

It continued, “Mejbri subsequently accepted the charge, with the Regulatory Commission imposed a four-game suspension and £15,000 after a hearing. The panel's written reasons for its decisions will be published at a later date.” Burnley, currently in 19th place in the Premier League table, visit 12th-placed Newcastle on Saturday.

2. Maresca Singles Out Adarabioyo's Errors to Make an Argument

The Blues' head coach Enzo Maresca has stated that not having seasoned players is no a problem for his team, pointing out how defender Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not prevent him from playing poorly in a 3-1 loss against Leeds United.

Maresca, who oversees the youngest squad in the Premier League, rejected the idea that inexperience played a part in the poor result. He presented his argument by criticising Tosin, Chelsea's oldest player on the pitch, who produced a mistake-riddled display in central defence.

“We always talk about a lack of experience when we drop points,” the coach stated. “When we defeated Barcelona, the draw with Arsenal, no one was talking about experienced players. I understand that if we lose, we are constantly looking for the reason why, but I think the reason why we lost to Leeds is not because of the experience, it’s because we were not at our best.”

He added, “Who is the most senior player on our team in the match? Who was? Did he play any good? Therefore, it’s not about his age. It’s about those 11 players, they were not good enough.”

3. Guardiola Says Defence 'Has to Improve'

The Manchester City manager has stated his team have taken lessons from a midweek thriller at Fulham and the game has now been forgotten. The team held on to claim a 5-4 win during a remarkable clash on Tuesday, after leading 5-1 with about an hour played.

This followed they fought off a comeback to win 3-2 in their previous game, prompting more questions about whether they possess resilient enough to sustain a title challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “It’s behind us,” Guardiola commented. “Good lessons, hopefully. In the Premier League, for every team, you have to learn from what happens in the good things and bad things and focus on what's next.”

“Naturally I’m concerned,” Guardiola added. “We try to understand what happened, to not concede so many goals. After conceding three scored against Leeds, and five by Fulham you can see the two versions, correct? So, we have done plenty of positive things. Yet the number of attempts did Leeds have? Three? They scored two. That ratio is bad. And shots on target for Fulham have? Five, six? So, our ratio of shots conceded is too high. We have to improve.”

Newcastle Focus on Livramento and Botman Contracts

Newcastle United's new sporting director, Ross Wilson, has placed contract negotiations with important defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his to-do list for the club. Wilson arrived after leaving Nottingham Forest in October and is reassured that midfielder Sandro Tonali is on a deal that runs until 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

This allows Wilson to focus on negotiations with Livramento and Botman's representatives. With the former’s current deal ending in 2027 and the latter’s in 2028, the club's talks have assumed a certain urgency.

“My first three or four days after starting was when I found that Sandro’s deal was significantly better than the one I had thought,” said Wilson. “But it’s no secret that the club would want to extend Tino’s contract and we wants to extend Sven Botman’s too. These talks are ongoing.”

Manager Eddie Howe is missing Botman against the match with Burnley this Saturday, with the defender expected to be sidelined for at least a further period.

Nuno Confirms Paquetá Returns Against Brighton

The Hammers' manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá will return to the starting lineup when the side play Brighton on Sunday, after serving his suspension following a red card against Liverpool.

“It is in the past,” Nuno remarked. “I am positive it won't be repeated as he personally acknowledged the error. We spoke internally. I believe the matter is closed and will not be repeated.”

He also acknowledged the intense pressure facing his team, who are 18th ahead of Saturday's matches. “We can't ignore it,” he admitted. “It's the situation. We have to face it. We're fighting for survival. We can't shy away from it.”

6. Arteta Impressed by Striker Deputy Merino

Mikel Merino could continue leading the line for Arsenal central striker even when the club's usual strikers are fit again. The midfielder has been deployed as an emergency No 9 because of fitness issues for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored the opener versus Brentford and set up Bukayo Saka for the second during a 2-0 win that maintained {their|