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This week's Premier League news, a notable player was handed a significant suspension, a head coach has pointed out a player's errors to make a point, and the Manchester City manager has called for backline improvements after a chaotic win.

1. Mejbri Handed Four-Match Suspension and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was given a four-game suspension and a financial penalty following misconduct during October's fixture versus Leeds United. The governing body said Mejbri was referred a separate disciplinary panel following an incident of spitting towards away supporters around the 67th point of a 2-0 win for Burnley.

A statement said: “A disciplinary panel has sanctioned the Hannibal Mejbri due to his actions during the Premier League match against Leeds on 18 October. The charge was that he acted against the laws of football or in an improper manner and/or engaging in abusive and indecent conduct through spitting towards the direction of Leeds United fans.”

It added, “Mejbri subsequently admitted the allegation, and the panel handing down a four-match suspension and £15,000 after a hearing. The Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for its decisions will be published in due course.” The team, now 19th in the standings, visit 12th-place Newcastle this Saturday.

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

The Blues' head coach Enzo Maresca has argued that a lack of seasoned players is not a problem at team, highlighting how centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not prevent the 28-year-old from having poorly in the loss against Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who oversees the most youthful squad in the division, does not feel that mentality played a part in their poor result. He presented his argument by singling out Tosin, the oldest outfield player on the pitch, after he produced an error-strewn display in central defence.

“People always talk about experience after we fail to win,” the coach stated. “When we beat Barcelona, the draw against Arsenal, no one was talking about older players. I understand that when we lose, people are always looking for the reason why, but in my view why we didn’t win to Leeds was not down to the experience, it’s because we just weren't at our best.”

Maresca continued, “Who was the oldest one on our team on the pitch? It was Tosin. Was he any good? So, it’s not about his age. It's that those 11 men, they were not up to standard.”

3. Guardiola Insists Defence 'Must Improve'

Pep Guardiola has insisted the champions have learnt from their recent thriller at Fulham with the episode has now been in the past. The team survived for a 5-4 win during a remarkable clash at Craven Cottage, having led 5-1 with about 60 minutes played.

This followed they fought off a fightback and won 3-2 in their previous game, prompting further doubts about if they are resilient enough to sustain a title challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “It’s forgotten,” he commented. “Good learnings, I hope. In the Premier League, at all the clubs, you have to learn from what happens in the good things and bad things and think of the next one.”

“Naturally I’m concerned,” Guardiola added. “We try to understand what happened, to not allow the goals. With the three goals by Leeds, and five against Fulham you can see our versions, correct? So, we have we have done plenty of positive things. But how many attempts did Leeds have? Three? Scored two. That ratio is good. How many attempts did Fulham have? Five, six? So our ratio of shots conceded we can see too high. We must improve.”

Newcastle Focus on Defenders' Contracts

The Magpies' new football chief, Ross Wilson, has made new deal negotiations involving important defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his agenda at St James’ Park. He arrived after leaving Nottingham Forest recently and is reassured that midfielder Sandro Tonali is on a contract that runs to 2029 with an option until 2030.

That has left Wilson free to prioritise talks with Livramento and Botman's representatives. With the former’s current deal ending in 2027 and the latter’s a year later, the club's efforts are being treated with a certain urgency.

“The initial few days after starting was when I discovered that Sandro’s contract situation is significantly better than I was expecting,” said Wilson. “However, it is no secret that we wishes to extend Tino’s deal and we would want to renew Sven Botman’s too. These talks are underway.”

Head coach Eddie Howe will be missing Botman for the home game with Burnley on Saturday, with the defender likely to be out for another week.

5. Nuno Says Paquetá Will Start Against Brighton

The Hammers' head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that Lucas Paquetá will return to start when they face Brighton this Sunday, after serving a ban following a red card against Liverpool.

“It is behind us,” Nuno said. “I am confident it will not be repeated as he himself acknowledged the error. We spoke in the dressing room. I believe it is over and it will not happen again.”

Nuno also acknowledged the significant pressure on his side, currently 18th ahead of Saturday's matches. “We cannot avoid it,” he admitted. “It is the situation. We have to face it. We are fighting for survival. We cannot hide it.”

Arteta Pleased with No 9 Stand-in Merino

The Spanish midfielder could continue as Arsenal’s central striker despite the club's usual frontmen return from injury. The midfielder has been playing as a makeshift No 9 due to fitness issues for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored Arsenal’s opener versus Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for the second in a 2-0 victory that maintained {their|