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This week's English football updates, a notable midfielder was issued a substantial ban, a manager has pointed to a defender's errors to prove an argument, and Pep Guardiola has called for backline betterment after a wild victory.

1. Mejbri Given Four-Game Ban and Fine

The Clarets' midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was given a four-match suspension and a financial penalty following improper behaviour during October's fixture versus Leeds United. The governing body confirmed Mejbri faced a separate regulatory commission following an incident of spitting in the direction of visiting fans around the 67-minute point of a 2-0 victory by Burnley.

An FA statement explained: “An independent Regulatory Commission has sanctioned the Hannibal Mejbri due to his actions during their Premier League game against Leeds of 18 October. The charge was that he acted against the laws of football or in a poor way and/or engaging in abusive and/or indecent conduct through spitting at or in the direction of Leeds United fans.”

The statement added, “Mejbri subsequently admitted the allegation, with the Regulatory Commission handing down a four-match ban and a fine after proceedings. The Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for its decisions are to be released in due course.” The team, now 19th in the table, travel to 12th-place Newcastle this Saturday.

Maresca Points to Adarabioyo's Errors to Prove a Point

The Blues' manager Enzo Maresca has argued that a lack of experience is not an issue for his team, pointing out how centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not stop the 28-year-old from having poorly during the defeat to Leeds United.

Maresca, who manages the youngest squad in the Premier League, does not feel that inexperience played a part in the setback. He made his argument by singling out Tosin, Chelsea's oldest outfield player on the pitch, who delivered an error-strewn display at the back.

“People always mention experience when we drop points,” Maresca said. “When we defeated Barcelona, we drew against Arsenal, nobody was mentioning older personnel. I know that when we don’t win, we are constantly searching for an explanation, but I think why we didn’t win against Leeds is not because of inexperience, it’s because we just weren't good enough.”

Maresca continued, “Who was the most senior player for us in the match? It was Tosin. Did he play any good? So, it isn't related to experience. It's that those 11 players, they were not good enough.”

Guardiola Insists Defence 'Must Get Better'

Pep Guardiola has insisted his team have taken lessons from a midweek thriller against Fulham with the game is now in the past. City survived to claim a 5-4 win during a remarkable encounter at Craven Cottage, having led 5-1 with almost 60 minutes played.

This followed they resisted a Leeds comeback to win 3-2 in the prior game, prompting more questions about if City are resilient enough to mount a challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “It’s behind us,” he said. “Good lessons, hopefully. At this level, at all the clubs, one must learn from both good and bad performances and bad things and focus on the next one.”

“Naturally I am worried,” he admitted. “We are trying to analyse what happened, to not concede the goals. After conceding three scored against Leeds, and the five goals by Fulham you can see our sides, right? So, we have done plenty of positive things. But the number of attempts did Leeds ? Three? Scored two. It’s not good. And attempts did Fulham ? Five, six? So, our ratio of chances conceded is too high. We must improve.”

Newcastle Prioritise New Defenders' Contracts

The Magpies' new football chief, Ross Wilson, has made new deal discussions with important backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his to-do list for the club. He arrived from Nottingham Forest in October and was reassured that playmaker Sandro Tonali has a deal that runs to 2029 with an option until 2030.

That has left Wilson to focus on negotiations for Livramento and Botman's representatives. With the former’s current deal set to expire in 2027 and the latter’s a year later, Newcastle's talks are being treated with a certain importance.

“My first three or four days after starting was when I found that Sandro’s contract situation is significantly better than I was expecting,” he stated. “But it’s well known that the club wishes to renew Tino’s contract and also wants to extend Sven Botman’s as well. Those discussions are underway.”

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

Nuno Says Paquetá Returns Against Brighton

The Hammers' manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá will return to the starting lineup when they face Brighton on Sunday, after serving his suspension for the sending-off he received Liverpool.

“It is behind us,” the manager said. “I am positive it will not be repeated as he personally acknowledged his mistake. We spoke about it internally. I am positive the matter is closed and will not be repeated.”

He also understands the intense pressure facing his team, who are in the relegation zone ahead of the weekend matches. “We cannot ignore it,” he said. “It's the situation. We must face it. We are fighting for survival. We can't hide it.”

Arteta Pleased with Striker Deputy Merino

Mikel Merino may keep his place as Arsenal’s central striker even when their regular strikers return from injury. Merino has been deployed as a makeshift No 9 due to injuries to Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored the first goal versus Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for their second goal in a 2-0 win that maintained {their|