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This week's top-flight developments, a significant player was handed a significant ban, a manager has pointed to a player's mistakes 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 Fine

Burnley's player Hannibal Mejbri has been handed a four-match ban and a financial fine following misconduct during a recent match versus Leeds United. The Football Association said Mejbri was referred a separate regulatory commission following an incident of spitting in the direction of visiting fans at the 67-minute point during a 2-0 win by Burnley.

A statement explained: “A Regulatory Commission has punished the Hannibal Mejbri for misconduct in the top-flight game against Leeds of 18 October. The charge was that the player acted in breach of the laws of football and/or in an improper way and/or engaging in offensive and unacceptable conduct by spitting at or in the area of Leeds United supporters.”

The statement continued, “Mejbri later admitted the charge, with the Regulatory Commission handing down a four-game suspension and a fine after proceedings. The panel's written reasons for the sanction will be published in due course.” Burnley, now 19th in the table, visit 12th-placed Newcastle this Saturday.

Maresca Singles Out Adarabioyo's Errors to Prove a Point

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has stated that not having experience is not an issue at club, pointing out that defender Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not stop the 28-year-old from playing a bad game during the loss against Leeds United.

Maresca, who manages the most youthful team in the Premier League, does not feel that inexperience played a part in their poor result. He made his case by singling out Tosin, Chelsea's most experienced outfield player on the pitch, after he delivered a mistake-riddled display in central defence.

“People always mention a lack of experience when we drop points,” Maresca said. “When we beat Barcelona, we drew with Arsenal, nobody was talking about older players. I understand that when we lose, we are always looking for an explanation, but in my view the reason why we didn’t win to Leeds is not because of the experience, it’s because we just weren't at our best.”

He added, “Who was the most senior player for us on the pitch? Who was? Did he play good? So, it isn't related to experience. It's that those 11 men, they were not good enough.”

Guardiola Says Defence 'Has to Improve'

The Manchester City manager has stated the champions have taken lessons from a recent scare at Fulham and the game has now been forgotten. The team survived to claim a 5-4 win in a incredible encounter on Tuesday, after leading 5-1 with about 60 minutes gone.

Coming after they fought off a Leeds comeback to win 3-2 in the prior fixture, it raised more questions about if City are the defensive steel enough to sustain a challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “That game is behind us,” he commented. “Valuable learnings, hopefully. In the Premier League, at all the clubs, one must take onboard both good and bad performances and results and focus on the next one.”

“Naturally I am worried,” Guardiola added. “We are trying to understand what happened, to not concede the goals. With the three goals scored against Leeds, and the five goals by Fulham you can see our versions, correct? So, always done plenty of good things. Yet the number of shots on target did Leeds have? Three? They scored two. That ratio is bad. How many attempts for Fulham have? Five, six? So, our ratio of chances conceded we can see is high. We must be better.”

Newcastle Prioritise New Defenders' Contracts

Newcastle United's recently appointed football chief, Ross Wilson, has placed contract discussions involving key backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his to-do list at St James’ Park. He joined from Nottingham Forest in October and was pleased to learn playmaker Sandro Tonali is on a contract that runs until 2029 with an option until 2030.

That has left Wilson free to prioritise negotiations for Livramento and Botman's agents. With the former’s agreement set to expire in 2027 and Botman's in 2028, the club's talks have assumed some importance.

“The initial few days after starting is when I discovered that Sandro’s deal was much better than the one I was expecting,” said Wilson. “But it’s well known that we would want to renew Tino’s deal and we would want to extend Sven Botman’s too. These talks are underway.”

Manager Eddie Howe will be missing Botman against the home game against Burnley this Saturday, and he likely to be sidelined for at least another week.

5. Nuno Says Paquetá Will Start Against Brighton

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá will return to start when they play Brighton this Sunday, after serving a ban for the red card against Liverpool.

“It is in the past,” Nuno remarked. “I am confident it will not happen again because he personally admitted his mistake. We discussed it in the dressing room. I am positive it is over and it will not be repeated.”

He also understands the significant pressure on his side, who are 18th ahead of Saturday's fixtures. “We can't avoid it,” he admitted. “It's a reality. We must face it. We are battling for survival. We cannot hide it.”

Arteta Impressed by Striker Stand-in Merino

Mikel Merino may keep his place leading the line for Arsenal centre-forward despite the club's usual frontmen are fit again. The midfielder has been playing as an emergency number nine due to fitness issues for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Merino found the net for the opener against Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for the second goal in a 2-0 victory that maintained {their|