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In the latest Premier League news, a key player was given a lengthy suspension, a manager has singled out a defender's mistakes to make a point, and Pep Guardiola has called for backline betterment following a chaotic victory.

1. Mejbri Issued Four-Game Ban and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was given a four-game suspension and a £15,000 fine for improper behaviour in October's match versus Leeds United. The Football Association said the player was referred an independent disciplinary panel after an incident of spitting towards away fans around the 67-minute point during a 2-0 victory by Burnley.

An FA statement said: “An independent Regulatory Commission has sanctioned Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri for misconduct in their top-flight game with Leeds of 18 October. It was alleged that he acted against the laws of football or in an improper way by using offensive and indecent conduct by spitting at or in the area of Leeds United fans.”

It continued, “Mejbri later accepted the charge, and the Regulatory Commission imposed a four-match ban and a fine after proceedings. The Regulatory Commission’s full explanation for its decisions are to be released at a later date.” The team, currently 19th in the table, visit 12th-place Newcastle on Saturday.

2. Maresca Points to Tosin's Mistakes to Prove an Argument

The Blues' head coach Enzo Maresca has argued that not having seasoned players is not a problem at club, pointing out that defender Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not prevent him from having poorly during a 3-1 loss to Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who oversees the youngest squad in the Premier League, rejected the idea that mentality was a factor in their poor result. He made his argument by criticising Tosin, Chelsea's most experienced player in the lineup, who produced a mistake-riddled performance in central defence.

“People always mention experience when we drop points,” the coach said. “When we beat Barcelona, we drew against Arsenal, nobody was mentioning older personnel. I know that if we don’t win, we are constantly looking for the reason why, but I think the reason why we lost to Leeds is not because of inexperience, it’s because we were not good enough.”

Maresca continued, “Who was the most senior player for us in the match? It was Tosin. Was he any good? Therefore, it isn't related to experience. It’s about those 11 men, they were simply not good enough.”

3. Guardiola Insists Defence 'Has to Get Better'

The Manchester City manager has stated the champions have taken lessons from a recent scare at Fulham and the episode is now in the past. City held on to claim a 5-4 win during a remarkable encounter at Craven Cottage, after leading 5-1 with almost 60 minutes played.

This followed they resisted a Leeds fightback and won 3-2 in the previous fixture, it raised further doubts regarding if they are the defensive steel enough to mount a title challenge to leaders Arsenal. “It’s behind us,” he commented. “Valuable learnings, hopefully. At this level, for every team, you have to learn from what happens in the good things and bad things and focus on what's next.”

“Naturally I’m concerned,” he admitted. “We try to analyse what happened, so as not to concede so many goals. After conceding three scored against Leeds, and five goals against Fulham you can see the two versions, right? So, we have done many positive things. Yet the number of attempts did Leeds have? Three? They scored two. It’s not good. How many shots on target did Fulham ? Five, six? So our ratio of shots conceded is is high. We must improve.”

4. Newcastle Focus on Livramento and Botman Contracts

The Magpies' recently appointed football chief, Ross Wilson, has placed contract negotiations involving important backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his agenda for the club. He arrived after leaving Nottingham Forest recently and was pleased to learn midfielder Sandro Tonali is on a deal that runs to 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

This allows Wilson free to prioritise talks for Livramento and Botman's agents. With the former’s agreement ending in 2027 and the latter’s a year later, Newcastle's efforts are being treated with some importance.

“The initial three or four days after starting is when I discovered that Sandro’s contract situation is much more secure than the one I was expecting,” said Wilson. “However, it is well known that the club wishes to extend Tino’s deal and also would want to extend Sven Botman’s as well. These talks are underway.”

Manager Eddie Howe will be missing Botman against the home game against Burnley this Saturday, with the defender expected to remain sidelined for at least another week.

5. Nuno Confirms Paquetá Returns for West Ham

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that Lucas Paquetá will return to the starting lineup for the side play Brighton this Sunday, having completed a ban for the sending-off he received Liverpool.

“That incident is in the past,” Nuno said. “I am confident it won't be repeated as he personally admitted the error. We spoke internally. I believe it is over and it will not happen again.”

He also acknowledged the intense pressure on his side, currently in the relegation zone ahead of the weekend matches. “We can't ignore it,” he said. “It is a reality. We have to face it. We're fighting for survival. We cannot shy away from it.”

6. Arteta Pleased with No 9 Stand-in Merino

The Spanish midfielder may keep his place leading the line for Arsenal central striker even when the club's usual frontmen are fit again. Merino has been deployed as an emergency No 9 due to injuries to Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored the first goal against Brentford and set up Bukayo Saka for their second in a 2-0 victory that maintained {their|