🔗 Share this article

From the world of Premier League news, a notable player has been given a significant ban, a head coach has pointed to a player's mistakes to prove an argument, and the Manchester City manager has demanded backline improvements following a chaotic win.

1. Mejbri Issued Four-Game Ban and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was handed a four-game suspension and a £15,000 penalty following improper behaviour in October's fixture against Leeds United. The Football Association stated the player faced a separate disciplinary panel after an incident of spitting towards visiting supporters around the 67th point of a 2-0 win for Burnley.

A statement read: “A Regulatory Commission has punished the Hannibal Mejbri for his actions during the top-flight match with Leeds of 18 October. It was alleged that the player behaved in breach of the rules of the game and/or in a poor way and/or using offensive and indecent behaviour through spitting towards the area of Leeds United fans.”

It added, “Mejbri subsequently admitted the allegation, with the panel imposed a four-match suspension and a fine after a hearing. The Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for its decisions will be published in due course.” Burnley, currently in 19th place in the standings, visit 12th-placed Newcastle this Saturday.

2. Maresca Singles Out Adarabioyo's Mistakes to Make an Argument

The Blues' manager Enzo Maresca has argued that a lack of experience is no an issue at team, pointing out that centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not stop him from having a bad game during a 3-1 loss against Leeds United.

Maresca, who oversees the most youthful team in the division, rejected the idea that mentality played a part in their poor result. He made his argument by singling out Tosin, the most experienced player in the lineup, after he produced an error-strewn performance at the back.

“We always talk about experience after we drop points,” Maresca said. “After we beat Barcelona, we drew with Arsenal, no one was mentioning experienced players. I know that if we lose, we are always looking for an explanation, but I think the reason why we lost to Leeds is not because of inexperience, it’s because we just weren't good enough.”

Maresca continued, “Who is the oldest one for us in the match? Who was? Was he any good? So, it’s not about experience. It’s about those 11 men, they were simply not up to standard.”

3. Guardiola Says Defence 'Must Improve'

The Manchester City manager has insisted the champions have learnt from their recent thriller at Fulham with the episode has now been forgotten. City survived to claim a 5-4 victory during a incredible clash on Tuesday, having led 5-1 with almost an hour gone.

Coming after they resisted a comeback and won 3-2 in their prior game, it raised further doubts regarding whether they possess the defensive steel enough to mount a title challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “That game is behind us,” Guardiola said. “Valuable learnings, I hope. At this level, for every team, one must learn from what happens in the good things and results and focus on the next one.”

“Naturally I am worried,” Guardiola added. “We are trying to analyse what happened, to not concede the goals. After conceding three scored by Leeds, and the five goals against Fulham it shows our sides, right? So, always we have done many positive things. Yet how many attempts had Leeds ? Three? Scored two. That ratio is bad. How many shots on target did Fulham have? Five, six? So the average of shots conceded we can see is high. We must be better.”

4. Newcastle Prioritise New Livramento and Botman Contracts

The Magpies' new football chief, Ross Wilson, has placed new deal discussions with important backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his to-do list for the club. Wilson arrived from Nottingham Forest recently and is pleased to learn playmaker Sandro Tonali has a contract extending to 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

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

“The initial few days after starting is when I discovered that Sandro’s deal was much better than the one I was expecting,” he stated. “But it’s well known that we would want to extend Tino’s contract and we would want to renew Sven Botman’s too. Those discussions are underway.”

Head coach Eddie Howe is without Botman against the match with Burnley this Saturday, with the defender expected to remain out for at least another week.

5. Nuno Says 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, after serving a ban for the red card he received Liverpool.

“It is in the past,” Nuno said. “I am positive it will not be repeated as he himself admitted his mistake. We spoke in the dressing room. I am positive it is over and it will not be repeated.”

He also acknowledged the significant pressure on his side, currently 18th ahead of the weekend fixtures. “We cannot avoid it,” he admitted. “It's the situation. We have to face it. We're fighting for our top-flight status. We cannot hide it.”

6. Arteta Pleased with Striker Stand-in Merino

Mikel Merino could continue as Arsenal’s central striker even when the club's usual frontmen are fit again. The midfielder has been playing as an emergency number nine due to fitness issues for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Merino found the net for Arsenal’s opener versus Brentford and set up Bukayo Saka for the second goal in a 2-0 victory which preserved {their|