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From the world of top-flight developments, a key midfielder was given a lengthy ban, a head coach has singled to a player's mistakes to prove a point, and Pep Guardiola has called for backline improvements after a wild win.

Mejbri Handed Four-Game Suspension and Financial Penalty

Burnley's player Hannibal Mejbri has been given a four-match ban and a financial penalty following improper behaviour during October's fixture against Leeds United. The governing body said the player was referred an independent disciplinary panel after an incident where he spat towards away supporters at the 67th point during a 2-0 victory by Burnley.

An FA release read: “A Regulatory Commission has sanctioned Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri for his actions in their top-flight game against Leeds of 18 October. The charge was that the player behaved against the rules of the game or in a poor manner by using offensive and/or indecent conduct through spitting towards the area of Leeds United supporters.”

It added, “Mejbri later admitted the allegation, and the panel imposed a four-game suspension and £15,000 after proceedings. The panel's written reasons for its decisions are to be released at a later date.” Burnley, now 19th in the table, visit 12th-placed Newcastle this Saturday.

Maresca Points to Tosin's Errors to Make an Argument

The Blues' manager Enzo Maresca has argued that not having seasoned players is not an issue for his club, highlighting how defender Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not prevent the 28-year-old from playing a bad game in the loss against Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who manages the most youthful squad in the Premier League, rejected the idea that inexperience played a part in their poor result. He presented his case by singling out Tosin, the oldest player in the lineup, after he produced a mistake-riddled performance at the back.

“People always talk about experience when we fail to win,” Maresca stated. “After we defeated Barcelona, the draw against Arsenal, nobody was mentioning experienced personnel. I understand that if we don’t win, we are always looking for an explanation, but in my view why we lost against Leeds was not down to the experience, it’s because we just weren't at our best.”

Maresca continued, “Who is the oldest one on our team in the match? It was Tosin. Did he play any good? So, it’s not about his age. It’s about those 11 players, they were simply not good enough.”

Guardiola Says Defensive Solidity 'Has to Get Better'

The Manchester City manager has stated the champions have taken lessons from a recent scare against Fulham with the game is now forgotten. City held on for a 5-4 victory during a remarkable encounter on Tuesday, having led 5-1 with about 60 minutes played.

This followed they fought off a Leeds fightback to win 3-2 in their previous game, prompting further doubts regarding if they are resilient required to mount a challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “It’s forgotten,” Guardiola commented. “Good lessons, hopefully. At this level, at all the clubs, one must take onboard both good and bad performances and results and focus on the next one.”

“Naturally I am worried,” Guardiola added. “We try to understand what happened, so as not to concede the goals. With the three goals scored by Leeds, and the five against Fulham you can see the two sides, right? So, we have we have done plenty of positive things. But how many attempts had Leeds ? Three? They scored two. It’s not bad. How many shots on target did Fulham ? Five, six? So the average of shots conceded is is high. We have to be better.”

Newcastle Focus New Livramento and Botman 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 agenda at St James’ Park. He arrived after leaving Nottingham Forest in October and was pleased to learn playmaker Sandro Tonali is on a deal extending to 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

This allows Wilson free to focus on negotiations for Livramento and Botman's representatives. Livramento's current deal set to expire in 2027 and the latter’s in 2028, the club's talks are being treated with some urgency.

“The initial three or four days in the job was when I found that Sandro’s contract situation is significantly better than I had thought,” said Wilson. “However, it is well known that the club wishes to renew Tino’s contract and also would want to extend Sven Botman’s too. These talks are ongoing.”

Head coach Eddie Howe is without Botman against the home game against Burnley on Saturday, and he expected to be sidelined for at least another week.

Nuno Says Paquetá Returns for West Ham

The Hammers' head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that Lucas Paquetá is back to the starting lineup for the side play Brighton this Sunday, after serving a ban following a sending-off he received Liverpool.

“It is behind us,” the manager said. “I am positive it won't be repeated as he personally acknowledged his mistake. We discussed it about it in the dressing room. I am positive the matter is closed and it will not happen again.”

He also acknowledged the intense strain facing his team, currently in the relegation zone before Saturday's fixtures. “We cannot ignore it,” he admitted. “It's the situation. We must face it. We are battling for our top-flight status. We can't shy away from it.”

Arteta Impressed by Striker Deputy Merino

The Spanish midfielder could continue leading the line for Arsenal centre-forward even when their regular frontmen return from injury. Merino has been deployed as an emergency number nine due to fitness issues to Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Merino found the net for Arsenal’s first goal against Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for their second during a 2-0 victory that maintained {their|