Top-Flight Headlines: Hannibal Suspended for Spitting; Guardiola Says 'Defence Has to Improve'

This week's Premier League news, a significant player was issued a substantial ban, a head coach has singled to a player's errors to prove a point, and Pep Guardiola has called for backline improvements after a wild victory.

1. Mejbri Given Four-Game Ban and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' player Hannibal Mejbri has been given a four-match ban and a financial fine following misconduct during a recent match versus Leeds United. The Football Association stated Mejbri faced an independent disciplinary panel after allegations where he spat towards away fans around the 67th mark during a 2-0 win for Burnley.

An FA release said: “A disciplinary panel has punished the Hannibal Mejbri due to his actions in the top-flight match against Leeds of 18 October. The charge was that the player behaved against the laws of the game or in an improper way by engaging in offensive and unacceptable conduct through spitting towards the direction of Leeds United fans.”

It continued, “Mejbri later accepted the allegation, with the panel handing down a four-game ban and £15,000 after a hearing. The panel's written reasons for the sanction are to be released at a later date.” Burnley, currently 19th in the Premier League standings, travel to 12th-place Newcastle this Saturday.

2. Maresca Points to Tosin's Mistakes to Prove a Point

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has argued that not having seasoned players is not a problem for his team, pointing out that defender Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not stop the 28-year-old from having poorly during the loss to Leeds United.

Maresca, who oversees the youngest team in the division, does not feel that mentality played a part in the poor result. He made his argument by criticising Tosin, the most experienced outfield player on the pitch, after he delivered a mistake-riddled performance at the back.

“People always talk about a lack of experience after we drop points,” Maresca said. “After we defeated Barcelona, the draw against Arsenal, nobody was mentioning experienced players. I understand that if we don’t win, people are constantly looking for an explanation, but in my view the reason why we lost against Leeds is not because of the experience, it’s because we were not at our best.”

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

3. Guardiola Insists Defensive Solidity 'Must Get Better'

Pep Guardiola has stated his team have taken lessons from a midweek thriller against Fulham with the episode has now been in the past. The team held on for a 5-4 win during a incredible clash on Tuesday, after leading 5-1 with about an hour played.

This followed they resisted a comeback and won 3-2 in their previous game, prompting further doubts regarding if City are the defensive steel enough to sustain a title challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “That game is forgotten,” he said. “Valuable lessons, I hope. At this level, at all the clubs, you have to take onboard what happens in the good things and results and think of what's next.”

“Naturally I’m concerned,” Guardiola added. “We try to analyse the cause, so as not to concede so many goals. After conceding three by Leeds, and five goals against Fulham you can see our versions, right? Therefore, we have done many good things. But the number of attempts had Leeds ? Three? Scored two. That ratio is bad. How many attempts did Fulham have? Five, six? So our ratio of chances conceded we can see is high. We must improve.”

4. Newcastle Prioritise on Livramento and Botman Contracts

The Magpies' recently appointed sporting director, Ross Wilson, has placed contract discussions with key defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his to-do list at St James’ Park. He joined from Nottingham Forest in October and is pleased that playmaker Sandro Tonali is on a deal extending to 2029 with an option until 2030.

That has left Wilson to prioritise talks with Livramento and Botman's representatives. Livramento's agreement set to expire in 2027 and Botman's a year later, Newcastle's efforts have assumed some importance.

“My first three or four days after starting is when I discovered that Sandro’s deal was much more secure than the one I had thought,” he stated. “But it’s no secret that the club would want to renew Tino’s contract and also wants to extend Sven Botman’s as well. These talks are ongoing.”

Head coach Eddie Howe will be without Botman against the home game with Burnley this Saturday, with the defender likely to remain sidelined for another week.

5. Nuno Confirms Paquetá Will Start for West Ham

The Hammers' manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá is back to the starting lineup for they face Brighton on Sunday, after serving a ban following a red card he received Liverpool.

“That incident is in the past,” the manager remarked. “I am confident it won't happen again because he personally admitted the error. We spoke internally. I believe the matter is closed and will not be repeated.”

He also understands the intense strain facing his team, currently in the relegation zone before Saturday's matches. “We cannot ignore it,” he admitted. “It's the situation. We must confront it. We're battling for our top-flight status. We can't hide it.”

Arteta Pleased with No 9 Deputy Merino

Mikel Merino could continue as Arsenal’s centre-forward even when the club's usual strikers return from injury. Merino has been playing as a makeshift No 9 because of fitness issues for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored Arsenal’s first goal against Brentford and set up Bukayo Saka for the second goal during a 2-0 win which preserved {their|