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This week's English football updates, a significant player has been issued a substantial suspension, a head coach has singled to a player's errors to prove an argument, and the Manchester City manager has called for backline improvements following a chaotic victory.

1. Mejbri Handed Four-Game Ban and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' midfielder Hannibal Mejbri has been given a four-match suspension and a £15,000 penalty for improper behaviour in a recent match versus Leeds United. The Football Association confirmed the player was referred an independent regulatory commission following allegations of spitting towards visiting fans at the 67-minute mark during a 2-0 win by Burnley.

A release read: “A disciplinary panel has punished Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri for his actions during their top-flight game against Leeds of 18 October. The charge was that he acted against the laws of football or in a poor manner and/or using abusive and/or unacceptable behaviour through spitting at or in the area of Leeds United fans.”

The statement added, “Mejbri subsequently accepted the charge, and the panel handing down a four-game ban and £15,000 following proceedings. The panel's full explanation for the sanction will be published at a later date.” The team, now 19th in the standings, visit 12th-place Newcastle this Saturday.

Maresca Singles Out Adarabioyo's Errors to Make an Argument

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has argued that a lack of seasoned players is no a problem for his club, pointing out that centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not prevent the 28-year-old from having a bad game in the loss to Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who manages the youngest squad in the division, does not feel that inexperience played a part in the poor result. He made his argument by criticising Tosin, Chelsea's oldest player on the pitch, who delivered an error-strewn display in central defence.

“We always mention experience when we fail to win,” the coach said. “After we beat Barcelona, the draw against Arsenal, no one was talking about experienced personnel. I know that if we lose, we are constantly looking for the reason why, but in my view why we didn’t win against Leeds is not because of the experience, it’s 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 any good? Therefore, it’s not about experience. It's that those 11 men, they were simply not up to standard.”

Guardiola Insists Defence 'Has to Get Better'

The Manchester City manager has stated his team have taken lessons from a recent thriller at Fulham and the episode has now been in the past. City held on to claim a 5-4 win in a remarkable encounter on Tuesday, having led 5-1 with about 60 minutes played.

Coming after they fought off a fightback and won 3-2 in the previous fixture, prompting more questions about whether City possess resilient enough to sustain a challenge to leaders Arsenal. “That game is forgotten,” Guardiola said. “Good lessons, hopefully. In the Premier League, for every team, one must learn from what happens performances and bad things and focus on the next one.”

“Naturally I am worried,” he admitted. “We are trying to understand what happened, so as not to allow so many goals. With the three goals scored by Leeds, and five against Fulham you can see the two versions, right? So, we have done plenty of positive things. But the number of attempts had Leeds have? Three? They scored two. It’s not good. How many attempts for Fulham have? Five, six? So our ratio of chances conceded is too high. We have to be better.”

Newcastle Prioritise New Defenders' Deals

Newcastle United's new football chief, Ross Wilson, has made new deal discussions with important defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his to-do list for the club. He joined after leaving Nottingham Forest in October and was reassured that playmaker Sandro Tonali has a deal that runs until 2029 with an option until 2030.

That has left Wilson free to focus on negotiations for Livramento and Botman's representatives. Livramento's current deal set to expire in 2027 and Botman's a year later, the club's talks are being treated with a certain importance.

“The initial few days in the job is when I found that Sandro’s contract situation is much better than the one I had thought,” he stated. “But it’s well known that the club would want to renew Tino’s deal and also would want to extend Sven Botman’s too. These talks are underway.”

Manager Eddie Howe is without Botman against the match with Burnley on Saturday, with the defender likely to be sidelined for at least a further period.

Nuno Says Paquetá Will Start for West Ham

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

“That incident is in the past,” Nuno remarked. “I am confident it will not be repeated as he personally admitted his mistake. We discussed it in the dressing room. I believe the matter is closed and will not be repeated.”

He also understands the intense strain facing his team, currently 18th before Saturday's fixtures. “We can't avoid it,” he admitted. “It is a reality. We have to face it. We are battling for our top-flight status. We cannot shy away from it.”

Arteta Pleased with Striker Deputy Merino

The Spanish midfielder could continue leading the line for Arsenal centre-forward even when the club's usual strikers return from injury. Merino has been deployed as a makeshift number nine because of injuries to Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Merino found the net for the first goal versus Brentford and set up Bukayo Saka for their second in a 2-0 victory which preserved {their|