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In the latest top-flight developments, a notable player was issued a significant suspension, a head coach has pointed out a player's mistakes to prove an argument, and the Manchester City manager has called for backline improvements following a chaotic victory.

Mejbri Given Four-Match Ban and Financial Penalty

Burnley's player Hannibal Mejbri was issued a four-match suspension and a financial penalty for improper behaviour in a recent match against Leeds United. The Football Association confirmed Mejbri was referred an independent disciplinary panel after an incident where he spat towards away supporters around the 67th mark during a 2-0 win for Burnley.

An FA release said: “A disciplinary panel has punished Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri for misconduct during their Premier League game with Leeds of 18 October. It was alleged that the player behaved against the rules of football and/or in an improper manner by using offensive and/or unacceptable behaviour by spitting at or in the area of Leeds United supporters.”

It continued, “Mejbri later accepted the charge, with the panel imposed a four-match ban and £15,000 after proceedings. The Regulatory Commission’s full explanation for the sanction will be published at a later date.” Burnley, now in 19th place in the standings, travel to 12th-placed Newcastle this Saturday.

2. Maresca Singles Out Adarabioyo's Mistakes to Prove a Point

The Blues' head coach Enzo Maresca has stated that not having seasoned players is not an issue at club, pointing out how centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not stop him from having a bad game during a 3-1 loss against Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who manages the most youthful team in the Premier League, rejected the idea that mentality was a factor in the poor result. He presented his argument by criticising Tosin, Chelsea's oldest player on the pitch, who delivered a mistake-riddled display in central defence.

“People always mention experience after we drop points,” Maresca said. “When we defeated Barcelona, the draw against Arsenal, no one was mentioning older players. I know that if we lose, we are constantly searching for an explanation, 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 was the oldest one on our team in the match? Who was? 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 Defensive Solidity 'Must Improve'

The Manchester City manager has stated the champions have learnt from their midweek thriller against Fulham and the game has now been forgotten. The team held on for 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 game, it raised further doubts about if City possess resilient required to sustain a title challenge to leaders Arsenal. “It’s forgotten,” he said. “Valuable learnings, hopefully. At this level, at all the clubs, you have to learn from what happens performances and bad things and focus on what's next.”

“Of course I am worried,” he admitted. “We are trying to understand the cause, so as not to concede so many goals. After conceding three against Leeds, and the five by Fulham you can see the two sides, correct? Therefore, always we have done plenty of positive things. But how many shots on target had Leeds have? Three? Scored two. That ratio is bad. How many attempts for Fulham ? Five, six? So, the average of shots conceded we can see is high. We must improve.”

4. Newcastle Prioritise on Livramento and Botman Deals

Newcastle United's new sporting director, Ross Wilson, has made contract discussions involving key defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his agenda at St James’ Park. Wilson arrived after leaving Nottingham Forest recently and was pleased that midfielder Sandro Tonali has a deal extending until 2029 with an option until 2030.

That has left Wilson free to focus on negotiations with Livramento and Botman's agents. Livramento's agreement set to expire in 2027 and Botman's a year later, the club's talks have assumed a certain urgency.

“The initial few days in the job is when I found that Sandro’s contract situation is much more secure than the one I was expecting,” he stated. “However, it is well known that the club would want to renew Tino’s contract and we would want to renew Sven Botman’s too. Those discussions are ongoing.”

Manager Eddie Howe is missing Botman against the home game with Burnley on Saturday, with the defender likely to remain sidelined for another week.

5. Nuno Says Paquetá Will Start Against Brighton

West Ham head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that Lucas Paquetá is back to the starting lineup when they play Brighton on Sunday, having completed his suspension for the red card he received Liverpool.

“That incident is behind us,” Nuno remarked. “I am confident it won't happen again as he personally admitted his mistake. We spoke about it in the dressing room. I am positive the matter is closed and will not happen again.”

He also acknowledged the intense pressure on his side, currently 18th before Saturday's fixtures. “We can't avoid it,” he admitted. “It is the situation. We must confront it. We're battling for our top-flight status. We cannot shy away from it.”

6. Arteta Pleased with Striker Deputy Merino

The Spanish midfielder could continue as Arsenal’s central striker even when the club's usual strikers return from injury. Merino has been deployed as an emergency No 9 due to injuries for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

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