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This week's top-flight news, a key player was given a substantial suspension, a manager has singled out a defender's mistakes to make a point, and Pep Guardiola has demanded defensive improvements after a wild win.

Mejbri Given Four-Game Ban and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' player Hannibal Mejbri was given a four-game suspension and a financial fine for misconduct in a recent match against Leeds United. The governing body confirmed Mejbri faced an independent disciplinary panel following an incident of spitting towards visiting supporters at the 67th mark of a 2-0 victory for Burnley.

An FA release read: “A disciplinary panel has sanctioned the Hannibal Mejbri due to misconduct in their Premier League game with Leeds on 18 October. It was alleged that he behaved in breach of the rules of football and/or in an improper manner and/or using abusive and unacceptable conduct through spitting towards the area of Leeds United fans.”

It continued, “Mejbri subsequently accepted the allegation, and the Regulatory Commission imposed a four-game ban and £15,000 following proceedings. The Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for the sanction will be published in due course.” The team, currently in 19th place in the table, travel to 12th-place Newcastle this Saturday.

Maresca Points to Adarabioyo's Errors to Prove a Point

The Blues' head coach Enzo Maresca has argued that not having experience is no a problem for his club, pointing out how centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not prevent the 28-year-old from having a bad game during a 3-1 defeat against Leeds United.

Maresca, who oversees the youngest team in the Premier League, does not feel that mentality was a factor in the poor result. He presented his argument by criticising Tosin, the most experienced player in the lineup, who delivered an error-strewn performance in central defence.

“We always talk about experience after we drop points,” Maresca stated. “After we defeated Barcelona, we drew with Arsenal, no one was mentioning experienced players. I understand that if we lose, we are constantly looking for the reason why, but in my view why we didn’t win to Leeds is not because of inexperience, it was because we just weren't good enough.”

He added, “Who was the most senior player on our team in the match? It was Tosin. Did he play any good? So, it isn't related to his age. It’s about those 11 men, they were simply not up to standard.”

Guardiola Says Defence 'Must Improve'

Pep Guardiola has stated his team have learnt from a midweek scare against Fulham with the game has now been forgotten. City held on for a 5-4 victory during a incredible clash on Tuesday, having led 5-1 with about an hour played.

This followed they fought off a Leeds comeback to win 3-2 in their previous fixture, prompting further doubts about whether City are resilient enough to sustain a title challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “That game is forgotten,” Guardiola said. “Good lessons, I hope. At this level, at all the clubs, one must learn from both good and bad performances and results and think of the next one.”

“Of course I’m concerned,” he admitted. “We are trying to understand what happened, so as not to concede the goals. With the three goals scored against Leeds, and the five goals against Fulham you can see the two sides, right? Therefore, we have we have done plenty of good things. Yet the number of shots on target did Leeds have? Three? Scored two. It’s not good. How many shots on target did Fulham ? Five, six? So the average of chances conceded we can see too high. We must improve.”

Newcastle Focus New Defenders' Contracts

Newcastle United's new sporting director, Ross Wilson, has placed new deal negotiations involving key backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his to-do list for the club. He arrived after leaving Nottingham Forest in October and was reassured to learn playmaker Sandro Tonali has a contract extending to 2029 with an option until 2030.

That has left Wilson free to focus on talks for Livramento and Botman's agents. Livramento's agreement set to expire in 2027 and Botman's a year later, the club's efforts have assumed a certain urgency.

“My first few days after starting was when I found that Sandro’s deal is much more secure than I was expecting,” said Wilson. “But it’s no secret that the club would want to extend Tino’s contract and we would want to extend Sven Botman’s as well. These talks are ongoing.”

Head coach Eddie Howe is without Botman against the match against Burnley on Saturday, and he expected to remain out for a further period.

Nuno Says Paquetá Returns for West Ham

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá is back to start when the side play Brighton this Sunday, after serving his suspension for the sending-off he received Liverpool.

“It is in the past,” Nuno said. “I am positive it won't be repeated because he personally acknowledged the error. We discussed it about it in the dressing room. I am positive the matter is closed and it will not be repeated.”

Nuno also understands the intense strain facing his team, who are in the relegation zone before the weekend fixtures. “We can't avoid it,” he said. “It is the situation. We have to face it. We're fighting for survival. We cannot hide it.”

Arteta Pleased with No 9 Stand-in Merino

Mikel Merino could continue leading the line for Arsenal centre-forward even when the club's usual strikers return from injury. The midfielder has been deployed as an emergency No 9 due to fitness issues for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored the first goal versus Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for their second during a 2-0 win which preserved {their|