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This week's Premier League developments, a notable midfielder has been given a significant ban, a manager has singled out a defender's errors to make a point, and the Manchester City manager has called for defensive betterment after a chaotic victory.

1. Mejbri Issued Four-Match Ban and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' player Hannibal Mejbri has been given a four-match suspension and a £15,000 penalty following misconduct in October's fixture versus Leeds United. The governing body said the player was referred an independent disciplinary panel after allegations of spitting in the direction of away supporters at the 67th point of a 2-0 victory by Burnley.

An FA release said: “A Regulatory Commission has sanctioned the Hannibal Mejbri due to misconduct during the top-flight game with Leeds on 18 October. The charge was that the player behaved in breach of the rules of the game or in an improper manner by using offensive and/or indecent conduct by spitting at or in the area of Leeds United fans.”

It added, “Mejbri later admitted the allegation, with the panel handing down a four-match ban and £15,000 following a hearing. The panel's written reasons for its decisions are to be released at a later date.” Burnley, currently 19th in the standings, travel to 12th-place Newcastle this Saturday.

2. Maresca Singles Out Tosin's Mistakes to Prove an Argument

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has stated that not having seasoned players is no a problem at team, pointing out how defender Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not stop him from playing a bad game during a 3-1 defeat to Leeds United.

Maresca, who oversees the youngest squad in the division, does not feel that inexperience was a factor in the poor result. He presented his argument by singling out Tosin, the oldest outfield player in the lineup, who produced an error-strewn display in central defence.

“People always mention experience when we drop points,” Maresca stated. “After we defeated Barcelona, the draw with Arsenal, nobody was talking about older players. I know that when we lose, we are constantly looking for an explanation, but in my view the reason 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 oldest one on our team on the pitch? Who was? Was he any good? So, it’s not about experience. It's that those 11 men, they were not good enough.”

Guardiola Says Defensive Solidity 'Must Improve'

The Manchester City manager has stated the champions have learnt from a midweek scare against Fulham with the episode is now in the past. The team held on for a 5-4 victory in a incredible encounter on Tuesday, after leading 5-1 with almost an hour played.

Coming after they fought off a Leeds comeback to win 3-2 in their prior fixture, it raised further doubts about whether they are the defensive steel required to mount a title challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “It’s forgotten,” Guardiola said. “Valuable lessons, I hope. In the Premier League, for every team, you have to learn from both good and bad performances and bad things and focus on the next one.”

“Of course I’m concerned,” he admitted. “We are trying to understand what happened, so as not to allow so many goals. After conceding three scored by Leeds, and the five by Fulham it shows our sides, correct? Therefore, always done many good things. But the number of attempts had Leeds have? Three? They scored two. That ratio is bad. How many attempts did Fulham have? Five, six? So, the average of shots conceded we can see too high. We have to improve.”

Newcastle Prioritise New Livramento and Botman Contracts

The Magpies' new football chief, Ross Wilson, has placed new deal discussions with key backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his agenda for the club. He joined from Nottingham Forest recently and was reassured that playmaker Sandro Tonali has a deal extending until 2029 with an option until 2030.

That has left Wilson free to focus on negotiations for Livramento and Botman's agents. Livramento's current deal set to expire in 2027 and Botman's a year later, Newcastle's talks have assumed a certain urgency.

“The initial few days in the job was when I discovered that Sandro’s deal was significantly better than I was expecting,” said Wilson. “But it’s well known that the club wishes to renew Tino’s contract and also wants to extend Sven Botman’s too. These talks are underway.”

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

5. Nuno Says Paquetá Returns for West Ham

West Ham head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá will return to the starting lineup for they play Brighton on Sunday, having completed his suspension for the red card he received Liverpool.

“It is in the past,” Nuno said. “I am positive it won't happen again as he personally admitted the error. We spoke about it internally. I believe the matter is closed and will not be repeated.”

He also acknowledged the intense pressure on his side, who are in the relegation zone ahead of the weekend fixtures. “We can't ignore it,” he said. “It's the situation. We have to face it. We are battling for our top-flight status. We cannot shy away from it.”

6. Arteta Impressed by Striker Deputy Merino

The Spanish midfielder could continue leading the line for Arsenal centre-forward despite the club's usual strikers are fit again. 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 the second during a 2-0 win that maintained {their|