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In the latest English football developments, a notable midfielder was handed a substantial suspension, a head coach has singled to a defender's errors to make an argument, and the Manchester City manager has called for defensive betterment after a wild win.

1. Mejbri Given Four-Match Ban and Fine

The Clarets' player Hannibal Mejbri was given a four-match ban and a financial fine for misconduct during October's match against Leeds United. The governing body said the player was referred an independent regulatory commission following an incident where he spat towards away fans around the 67-minute point during a 2-0 victory by Burnley.

A release explained: “A disciplinary panel has sanctioned the Hannibal Mejbri due to his actions during the Premier League game against Leeds of 18 October. It was alleged that the player behaved in breach of the rules of football or in an improper way by using offensive and unacceptable behaviour by spitting at or in the area of Leeds United supporters.”

It continued, “Mejbri later accepted the charge, and the Regulatory Commission imposed a four-match suspension and a fine after a hearing. The panel's written reasons for its decisions will be published in due course.” Burnley, currently 19th in the standings, visit 12th-placed Newcastle on Saturday.

Maresca Singles Out Adarabioyo's Errors to Prove a Point

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has argued that not having experience is not an issue for his club, highlighting that centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not prevent him from playing a bad game during the loss against Leeds United.

Maresca, who oversees the youngest squad in the Premier League, does not feel that inexperience played a part in the poor result. He presented his case by singling out Tosin, the most experienced player on the pitch, after he produced a mistake-riddled performance in central defence.

“We always mention experience after we drop points,” Maresca stated. “When we defeated Barcelona, the draw with Arsenal, no one was talking about experienced players. I understand that if we lose, people are constantly looking for the reason why, but in my view why we lost against Leeds was not down to inexperience, it’s because we were not at our best.”

He added, “Who is the oldest one on our team on the pitch? It was Tosin. Did he play good? Therefore, it isn't related to his age. It’s about those 11 men, they were simply not up to standard.”

3. Guardiola Says Defensive Solidity 'Has to Improve'

The Manchester City manager has insisted his team have taken lessons from a midweek thriller at Fulham with the game is now forgotten. City held on for a 5-4 win in a incredible clash at Craven Cottage, having led 5-1 with almost 60 minutes gone.

This followed they resisted a Leeds comeback to win 3-2 in their previous fixture, prompting further doubts regarding whether City possess resilient enough to sustain a challenge to leaders Arsenal. “That game is forgotten,” Guardiola commented. “Valuable learnings, hopefully. In the Premier League, at all the clubs, you have to learn from both good and bad in the good things and results and focus on what's next.”

“Of course I am worried,” he admitted. “We try to understand the cause, to not allow the goals. After conceding three against Leeds, and five against Fulham it shows the two versions, right? Therefore, always we have done plenty of positive things. But the number of shots on target had Leeds ? Three? They scored two. That ratio is bad. And shots on target did Fulham have? Five, six? So the average of shots conceded we can see too high. We must improve.”

Newcastle Focus New Defenders' Contracts

The Magpies' recently appointed sporting director, Ross Wilson, has placed new deal discussions involving important backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his to-do list at St James’ Park. He arrived after leaving Nottingham Forest recently and is pleased to learn playmaker Sandro Tonali has a deal extending to 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

This allows Wilson free to focus on negotiations for Livramento and Botman's agents. With the former’s current deal set to expire in 2027 and the latter’s a year later, Newcastle's talks have assumed a certain importance.

“The initial few days in the job is when I found that Sandro’s deal was significantly more secure than I had thought,” said Wilson. “But it’s no secret that we wishes to extend Tino’s deal and we wants to extend Sven Botman’s as well. These talks are underway.”

Manager Eddie Howe will be missing Botman against the match against Burnley this Saturday, and he expected to be sidelined for at least another week.

5. Nuno Confirms Paquetá Returns Against Brighton

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá is back to start when they face Brighton this Sunday, having completed a ban following a sending-off he received Liverpool.

“It is behind us,” the manager said. “I am positive it will not happen again because he himself admitted his mistake. We discussed it internally. I believe the matter is closed and will not happen again.”

He also understands the intense pressure on his side, currently 18th ahead of Saturday's fixtures. “We can't avoid it,” he admitted. “It's a reality. We must confront it. We're fighting for survival. We can't hide it.”

Arteta Pleased with No 9 Deputy Merino

Mikel Merino could continue leading the line for Arsenal central striker despite their regular strikers return from injury. The midfielder has been playing as a makeshift number nine due to injuries to Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored Arsenal’s opener versus Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for their second during a 2-0 win which preserved {their|