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From the world of English football news, a notable midfielder was handed a lengthy ban, a head coach has singled to a player's mistakes to make a point, and the Manchester City manager has demanded defensive betterment following an erratic win.

1. Mejbri Handed Four-Match Ban and Financial Penalty

Burnley's player Hannibal Mejbri was issued a four-game suspension and a financial fine for misconduct in a recent fixture against Leeds United. The Football Association stated the player faced an independent regulatory commission following an incident where he spat towards visiting fans at the 67th mark of a 2-0 win by Burnley.

A release read: “A Regulatory Commission has sanctioned the Hannibal Mejbri for his actions during the Premier League game against Leeds on 18 October. It was alleged that the player acted in breach of the rules of the game or in an improper way by engaging in offensive and unacceptable behaviour by spitting towards the direction of Leeds United fans.”

The statement added, “Mejbri subsequently admitted the allegation, with the Regulatory Commission handing down a four-game ban and a fine after proceedings. The Regulatory Commission’s full explanation for the sanction are to be released in due course.” The team, currently 19th in the Premier League table, visit 12th-place Newcastle this Saturday.

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

The Blues' manager Enzo Maresca has stated that a lack of experience is not a problem for his team, highlighting how centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not prevent him from playing a bad game during a 3-1 loss to Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who oversees the youngest squad in the division, rejected the idea that inexperience was a factor in their setback. He presented his argument by criticising Tosin, Chelsea's most experienced outfield player on the pitch, after he produced an error-strewn display at the back.

“We always talk about experience when we fail to win,” the coach said. “When we defeated Barcelona, we drew against Arsenal, no one was talking about experienced players. I know that when we lose, we are constantly searching for an explanation, but in my view why we didn’t win against Leeds was not down to the experience, it’s because we were not good enough.”

Maresca continued, “Who was the most senior player on our team on the pitch? Who was? Was he good? So, it isn't related to his age. It’s about those 11 players, they were simply not good enough.”

Guardiola Insists Defence 'Must Improve'

Pep Guardiola has stated the champions have learnt from their midweek scare at Fulham and the game has now been forgotten. City survived to claim a 5-4 win in a remarkable encounter at Craven Cottage, after leading 5-1 with about an hour played.

Coming after they resisted a Leeds fightback and won 3-2 in their previous fixture, prompting more questions regarding whether City are resilient enough to sustain a challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “It’s behind us,” he said. “Valuable learnings, I hope. At this level, at all the clubs, one must take onboard both good and bad in the good things and results and think of what's next.”

“Of course I am worried,” he admitted. “We try to understand what happened, so as not to allow so many goals. With the three goals scored against Leeds, and five by Fulham you can see the two sides, correct? Therefore, always done plenty of positive things. Yet the number of shots on target did Leeds have? Three? Scored two. That ratio is good. How many attempts did Fulham have? Five, six? So the average of chances conceded we can see is high. We have to be better.”

4. Newcastle Prioritise on Livramento and Botman Contracts

Newcastle United's recently appointed sporting director, Ross Wilson, has placed new deal discussions involving key defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his to-do list for the club. He joined after leaving Nottingham Forest recently and is reassured to learn midfielder Sandro Tonali has a contract that runs until 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

That has left Wilson to focus on negotiations with Livramento and Botman's representatives. With the former’s agreement set to expire in 2027 and Botman's in 2028, Newcastle's efforts are being treated with some urgency.

“The initial few days after starting was when I found that Sandro’s deal is much more secure than the one I had thought,” said Wilson. “However, it is well known that we would want to renew Tino’s deal and we wants to extend Sven Botman’s as well. Those discussions are ongoing.”

Head coach Eddie Howe will be missing Botman against the home game against Burnley this Saturday, with the defender likely to remain out for at least another week.

Nuno Says Paquetá Returns Against Brighton

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that Lucas Paquetá will return to the starting lineup when they face Brighton on Sunday, having completed his suspension following a sending-off against Liverpool.

“That incident is behind us,” Nuno remarked. “I am positive it will not be repeated as he himself admitted the error. We spoke in the dressing room. I am positive it is over and it will not be repeated.”

He also understands the intense strain facing his team, currently in the relegation zone ahead of the weekend matches. “We cannot ignore it,” he said. “It is the situation. We have to face it. We are battling for survival. We cannot shy away from it.”

6. Arteta Impressed by No 9 Deputy Merino

The Spanish midfielder may keep his place leading the line for Arsenal central striker despite the club's usual frontmen return from injury. The midfielder has been deployed as a makeshift No 9 because of fitness issues to Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored Arsenal’s first goal versus Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for their second during a 2-0 victory that maintained {their|