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In the latest English football news, a key midfielder has been given a substantial suspension, a manager has singled to a player's errors to prove an argument, and Pep Guardiola has called for backline improvements following an erratic victory.

1. Mejbri Issued Four-Match Suspension and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' midfielder Hannibal Mejbri has been given a four-match suspension and a £15,000 fine following misconduct during a recent match against Leeds United. The Football Association said the player faced a separate disciplinary panel following allegations of spitting in the direction of away fans at the 67-minute point during a 2-0 victory for Burnley.

A release read: “An independent Regulatory Commission has sanctioned Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri for misconduct during the top-flight game against Leeds on 18 October. It was alleged that the player acted in breach of the laws of football or in a poor way by engaging in abusive and/or unacceptable behaviour by spitting towards the direction of Leeds United fans.”

The statement added, “Mejbri later admitted the charge, and the Regulatory Commission handing down a four-game ban and a fine following a hearing. The panel's full explanation for its decisions are to be released in due course.” Burnley, now 19th in the standings, travel to 12th-placed Newcastle this Saturday.

Maresca Singles Out Adarabioyo's Mistakes to Prove a Point

The Blues' head coach Enzo Maresca has argued that a lack of seasoned players is not a problem at club, pointing out that defender Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not stop him from playing a bad game in the defeat against Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who manages the most youthful squad in the Premier League, rejected the idea that inexperience was a factor in the poor result. He made his argument by criticising Tosin, Chelsea's oldest outfield player in the lineup, who delivered an error-strewn display in central defence.

“People always talk about experience after we drop points,” the coach said. “After we beat Barcelona, we drew against Arsenal, no one was mentioning older personnel. I understand that when we don’t win, we are always searching for the reason why, but I think why we lost against Leeds was not down to the experience, it was because we just weren't at our best.”

Maresca continued, “Who was the most senior player for us in the match? It was Tosin. Did he play good? So, it’s not about experience. It’s about those 11 players, they were not good enough.”

3. Guardiola Insists Defence 'Has to Get Better'

Pep Guardiola has insisted his team have learnt from their recent scare at Fulham with the game has now been in the past. The team survived to claim a 5-4 win in a incredible clash at Craven Cottage, after leading 5-1 with about 60 minutes gone.

Coming after they fought off a comeback to win 3-2 in the previous fixture, it raised further doubts regarding whether they possess resilient required to sustain a challenge to leaders Arsenal. “It’s forgotten,” Guardiola commented. “Good learnings, hopefully. In the Premier League, for every team, one must take onboard both good and bad in the good things and results and think of the next one.”

“Naturally I am worried,” he admitted. “We are trying to understand what happened, to not concede the goals. With the three goals by Leeds, and five goals against Fulham it shows the two versions, correct? Therefore, we have done plenty of positive things. Yet the number of shots on target had Leeds ? Three? They scored two. It’s not good. How many shots on target did Fulham have? Five, six? So, our ratio of chances conceded we can see is high. We have to be better.”

Newcastle Focus New Livramento and Botman Deals

Newcastle United's recently appointed sporting director, Ross Wilson, has placed contract discussions involving important backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his agenda at St James’ Park. Wilson joined after leaving Nottingham Forest recently and was reassured that midfielder Sandro Tonali is on a deal that runs until 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

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

“The initial few days in the job is when I found that Sandro’s contract situation is significantly more secure than the one I was expecting,” said Wilson. “But it’s well known that we would want to renew Tino’s deal and we would want to renew Sven Botman’s as well. Those discussions are ongoing.”

Head coach Eddie Howe is missing Botman for the home game with Burnley this Saturday, with the defender expected to be out for another week.

Nuno Says Paquetá Returns Against Brighton

The Hammers' manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá is back to the starting lineup when they face Brighton this Sunday, having completed his suspension following a sending-off he received Liverpool.

“That incident is in the past,” the manager remarked. “I am confident it will not happen again because he himself admitted his mistake. We spoke internally. I believe the matter is closed and will not be repeated.”

Nuno also understands the significant strain on his side, currently 18th before the weekend fixtures. “We cannot ignore it,” he admitted. “It is the situation. We must confront it. We're battling for our top-flight status. We cannot hide it.”

Arteta Impressed by No 9 Stand-in Merino

Mikel Merino may keep his place as Arsenal’s central striker even when their regular strikers are fit again. Merino has been playing as a makeshift No 9 due to fitness issues 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 that maintained {their|