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From the world of Premier League developments, a notable midfielder has been issued a substantial suspension, a manager has singled to a player's mistakes to prove a point, and the Manchester City manager has called for defensive betterment following a chaotic win.

1. Mejbri Issued Four-Game Suspension and Fine

Burnley's player Hannibal Mejbri has been given a four-match ban and a £15,000 penalty for misconduct during October's fixture versus Leeds United. The Football Association stated the player faced an independent disciplinary panel following an incident where he spat in the direction of visiting supporters around the 67th mark of a 2-0 victory by Burnley.

A statement explained: “A Regulatory Commission has punished Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri due to misconduct in their top-flight game against Leeds on 18 October. It was alleged that he acted in breach of the laws of the game or in an improper manner by engaging in abusive and indecent behaviour through spitting at or in the area of Leeds United supporters.”

The statement added, “Mejbri subsequently accepted the allegation, and the Regulatory Commission handing down a four-match suspension and a fine after a hearing. The Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for the sanction will be published in due course.” The team, now in 19th place in the Premier League standings, travel to 12th-placed Newcastle on Saturday.

Maresca Points to Adarabioyo's Mistakes to Prove a Point

The Blues' manager Enzo Maresca has stated that a lack of experience is no an issue at team, pointing out that centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not stop him from having a bad game during the defeat against Leeds United.

Maresca, who manages 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 oldest outfield player in the lineup, after he produced a mistake-riddled display at the back.

“People always mention a lack of experience when we fail to win,” Maresca said. “After we defeated Barcelona, we drew with Arsenal, no one was mentioning older personnel. I understand that when we don’t win, people are always looking for an explanation, but I think why we lost to Leeds was not down to inexperience, it’s because we were not good enough.”

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

Guardiola Says Defence 'Must Improve'

Pep Guardiola has insisted his team have taken lessons from their recent thriller at Fulham with the game has now been in the past. The team survived to claim a 5-4 win during a remarkable clash at Craven Cottage, having led 5-1 with almost 60 minutes gone.

Coming after they fought off a comeback to win 3-2 in their previous game, prompting further doubts regarding if they possess the defensive steel enough to mount a title challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “It’s forgotten,” he commented. “Valuable learnings, hopefully. At this level, for every team, one must take onboard both good and bad in the good things and bad things and think of the next one.”

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

Newcastle Focus New Defenders' Contracts

Newcastle United's recently appointed sporting director, Ross Wilson, has placed contract discussions with important defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his agenda at St James’ Park. He arrived from Nottingham Forest in October and was reassured to learn playmaker Sandro Tonali is on a deal that runs to 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

This allows Wilson to focus on talks with Livramento and Botman's agents. Livramento's agreement ending in 2027 and Botman's in 2028, Newcastle's talks are being treated with some urgency.

“The initial few days in the job was when I found that Sandro’s deal is much better than I was expecting,” he stated. “However, it is no secret that we wishes to extend Tino’s contract and also wants to renew Sven Botman’s too. Those discussions are underway.”

Head coach Eddie Howe will be without Botman for the match against Burnley on Saturday, with the defender expected to remain sidelined for a further period.

Nuno Says Paquetá Will Start for West Ham

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that Lucas Paquetá is back to start when they face Brighton on Sunday, after serving a ban for the sending-off against Liverpool.

“That incident is in the past,” Nuno said. “I am confident it will not be repeated as he personally acknowledged his mistake. We discussed it internally. I believe it is over and will not be repeated.”

Nuno also understands the significant strain facing his team, who are 18th ahead of the weekend matches. “We can't avoid it,” he admitted. “It's the situation. We have to face it. We are battling for our top-flight status. We can't shy away from it.”

6. Arteta Impressed by Striker Deputy Merino

The Spanish midfielder may keep his place as Arsenal’s centre-forward despite the club's usual frontmen return from injury. Merino has been playing as a makeshift number nine due to injuries for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

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