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In the latest English football developments, a key midfielder has been handed a substantial suspension, a head coach has pointed out a defender's mistakes to make an argument, and the Manchester City manager has demanded backline improvements following a wild win.

Mejbri Handed Four-Game Suspension and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' player Hannibal Mejbri has been issued a four-game suspension and a financial penalty for improper behaviour during October's match against Leeds United. The governing body stated the player faced a separate disciplinary panel after allegations where he spat in the direction of away fans around the 67th mark during a 2-0 victory by Burnley.

A statement said: “An independent disciplinary panel has punished Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri due to his actions during the top-flight game with Leeds on 18 October. The charge was that he behaved in breach of the laws of the game or in a poor manner and/or engaging in abusive and/or unacceptable behaviour by spitting towards the area of Leeds United fans.”

The statement added, “Mejbri later admitted the charge, and the panel handing down a four-game suspension and £15,000 following proceedings. The panel's written reasons for its decisions will be published at a later date.” The team, now in 19th place in the Premier League table, travel to 12th-place Newcastle this Saturday.

2. Maresca Points to Tosin's Errors to Prove a Point

The Blues' manager Enzo Maresca has argued that not having seasoned players is not a problem at club, pointing out how defender Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not stop him from having poorly during the loss to Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who manages the youngest squad in the Premier League, does not feel that inexperience was a factor in their poor result. He presented his argument by singling out Tosin, the most experienced outfield player on the pitch, after he produced a mistake-riddled display at the back.

“People always mention experience when we fail to win,” the coach said. “When we defeated Barcelona, we drew against Arsenal, no one was talking about older personnel. I know that if we don’t win, we are always looking for the reason why, but I think why we didn’t win to Leeds is not because of inexperience, it was because we were not at our best.”

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

Guardiola Says Defensive Solidity 'Must Improve'

The Manchester City manager has stated his team have taken lessons from their recent scare against Fulham and the game has now been in the past. City held on for a 5-4 win during a remarkable clash at Craven Cottage, having led 5-1 with about 60 minutes gone.

This followed they resisted a Leeds comeback to win 3-2 in their previous fixture, prompting more questions about if they are resilient enough to sustain a title challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “That game is forgotten,” he commented. “Valuable learnings, hopefully. At this level, for every team, you have to learn from what happens performances and results and think of what's next.”

“Of course I’m concerned,” he admitted. “We try to analyse what happened, to not concede so many goals. With the three goals by Leeds, and the five by Fulham it shows our versions, right? Therefore, we have we have done many good things. Yet how many attempts had Leeds ? Three? They scored two. That ratio is bad. And shots on target for Fulham ? Five, six? So our ratio of shots conceded we can see is high. We have to improve.”

4. Newcastle Focus on Defenders' Deals

Newcastle United's recently appointed sporting director, Ross Wilson, has made contract discussions with key defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his to-do list for the club. He arrived from Nottingham Forest recently and was pleased to learn playmaker Sandro Tonali is on a deal that runs to 2029 with an option until 2030.

That has left Wilson free to focus on negotiations with Livramento and Botman's agents. Livramento's current deal set to expire in 2027 and Botman's in 2028, the club's efforts are being treated with a certain urgency.

“My first three or four days in the job is when I discovered that Sandro’s deal was much better than I had thought,” he stated. “However, it is well known that we would want to renew Tino’s deal and also would want to extend Sven Botman’s as well. These talks are ongoing.”

Head coach Eddie Howe is without Botman for the home game against Burnley on Saturday, and he likely to be sidelined for a further period.

Nuno Confirms 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 face Brighton on Sunday, having completed his suspension following a sending-off against Liverpool.

“It is behind us,” Nuno remarked. “I am confident it will not be repeated as he personally admitted the error. We discussed it in the dressing room. I am positive it is over and will not happen again.”

Nuno also acknowledged the significant pressure on his side, who are in the relegation zone ahead of the weekend matches. “We can't avoid it,” he said. “It is the situation. We have to face it. We're fighting for our top-flight status. We can't shy away from it.”

6. Arteta Impressed by No 9 Deputy Merino

The Spanish midfielder could continue as Arsenal’s centre-forward despite their regular frontmen return from injury. The midfielder has been playing as a makeshift No 9 due to injuries for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

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