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This week's English football news, a notable midfielder has been issued a substantial suspension, a head coach has singled out a player's errors to make an argument, and Pep Guardiola has called for defensive betterment after a wild victory.

Mejbri Issued Four-Match Suspension and Fine

Burnley's midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was given a four-game suspension and a financial fine for misconduct during a recent fixture versus Leeds United. The Football Association confirmed Mejbri faced a separate disciplinary panel following an incident of spitting in the direction of away supporters around the 67-minute point of a 2-0 victory for Burnley.

An FA statement said: “An independent disciplinary panel has sanctioned Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri due to misconduct during the top-flight game with Leeds of 18 October. The charge was that the player behaved in breach of the rules of football and/or in an improper way by engaging in offensive and/or indecent conduct through spitting towards the direction of Leeds United fans.”

The statement added, “Mejbri subsequently admitted the charge, and the panel handing down a four-match suspension and £15,000 after a hearing. The Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for the sanction are to be released at a later date.” Burnley, currently 19th in the Premier League table, visit 12th-placed Newcastle this Saturday.

Maresca Singles Out Adarabioyo's Errors to Prove an Argument

The Blues' head coach Enzo Maresca has stated that a lack of experience is no a problem at club, highlighting that centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not stop him from playing poorly in the loss to Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who oversees the youngest squad in the division, does not feel that mentality played a part in their poor result. He presented his argument by singling out Tosin, Chelsea's most experienced outfield player on the pitch, after he produced a mistake-riddled display at the back.

“People always mention experience after we drop points,” the coach stated. “After we beat Barcelona, we drew with Arsenal, no one was mentioning older players. I know that when we lose, people are constantly looking for an explanation, but in my view the reason why we didn’t win against Leeds is not because of the experience, it was because we just weren't at our best.”

He added, “Who is the most senior player on our team on the pitch? Who was? Did he play any good? So, it’s not about his age. It’s about those 11 players, they were simply not good enough.”

Guardiola Insists Defensive Solidity 'Has to Improve'

Pep Guardiola has stated his team have taken lessons from their recent scare at Fulham with the game is now forgotten. The team held on for a 5-4 victory in a incredible encounter on Tuesday, after leading 5-1 with almost 60 minutes played.

This followed they fought off a fightback to win 3-2 in their prior fixture, prompting more questions regarding whether they are the defensive steel required to mount a title challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “It’s forgotten,” he commented. “Valuable learnings, hopefully. At this level, for every team, one must learn from what happens in the good things and results and focus on what's next.”

“Naturally I’m concerned,” Guardiola added. “We are trying to analyse what happened, to not concede so many goals. With the three goals by Leeds, and five goals against Fulham it shows the two sides, right? So, we have we have done many positive things. But the number of attempts did Leeds ? Three? They scored two. It’s not good. And shots on target did Fulham have? Five, six? So the average of shots conceded we can see too high. We have to improve.”

4. Newcastle Focus on Livramento and Botman Contracts

Newcastle United's recently appointed football chief, Ross Wilson, has placed new deal discussions with key defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his agenda at St James’ Park. Wilson arrived from Nottingham Forest recently and is pleased to learn playmaker Sandro Tonali has a deal extending until 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

This allows Wilson free to prioritise talks for Livramento and Botman's agents. Livramento's current deal ending in 2027 and the latter’s in 2028, Newcastle's talks have assumed a certain urgency.

“My first few days in the job is when I discovered that Sandro’s deal is much better than the one I had thought,” said Wilson. “However, it is well known that the club would want to extend Tino’s contract and we wants to renew Sven Botman’s as well. Those discussions are underway.”

Manager Eddie Howe is without Botman against the home game against Burnley this Saturday, with the defender expected to be out for at least another week.

Nuno Confirms Paquetá Returns Against Brighton

The Hammers' head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá will return to start when they face Brighton on Sunday, after serving his suspension following a red card he received Liverpool.

“It is behind us,” Nuno remarked. “I am positive it won't be repeated as he personally admitted the error. We discussed it in the dressing room. I am positive the matter is closed and will not be repeated.”

Nuno also understands the intense pressure on his side, currently 18th ahead of the weekend fixtures. “We cannot avoid it,” he admitted. “It is a reality. We must confront it. We're battling for our top-flight status. We cannot hide it.”

Arteta Impressed by Striker Deputy Merino

Mikel Merino may keep his place leading the line for Arsenal central striker even when their regular frontmen return from injury. The midfielder has been deployed as a makeshift No 9 due to injuries to Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Merino found the net for Arsenal’s opener against Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for their second goal in a 2-0 win which preserved {their|