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This week's Premier League developments, a notable midfielder has been handed a significant suspension, a manager has pointed out a defender's mistakes to make an argument, and Pep Guardiola has demanded defensive betterment following an erratic victory.

1. Mejbri Given Four-Match Ban and Fine

The Clarets' midfielder Hannibal Mejbri has been given a four-game ban and a £15,000 penalty following misconduct during October's fixture versus Leeds United. The Football Association stated Mejbri faced an independent regulatory commission after an incident where he spat in the direction of away fans at the 67th mark during a 2-0 win for Burnley.

A release explained: “An independent Regulatory Commission has sanctioned Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri due to misconduct during their Premier League match against Leeds on 18 October. The charge was that he acted in breach of the rules of football and/or in a poor way and/or using abusive and indecent conduct through spitting towards the direction of Leeds United fans.”

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

Maresca Points to Adarabioyo's Errors to Make a Point

The Blues' head coach Enzo Maresca has argued that a lack of experience is no an issue at club, pointing out that defender Tosin Adarabioyo's age did not prevent the 28-year-old from playing poorly during a 3-1 defeat to Leeds United.

Maresca, who manages the most youthful team in the division, does not feel that inexperience played a part in their setback. He presented his argument by singling out Tosin, Chelsea's most experienced outfield player in the lineup, after he delivered an error-strewn performance at the back.

“People always mention a lack of experience when we drop points,” Maresca said. “When we beat Barcelona, the draw with Arsenal, no one was mentioning older players. I know that when we lose, we are always searching for the reason why, but I think why we lost to Leeds was not down to the experience, it was because we were not at our best.”

Maresca continued, “Who is the most senior player on our team on the pitch? It was Tosin. Did he play good? Therefore, it isn't related to his age. It’s about those 11 players, they were simply not good enough.”

Guardiola Insists Defensive Solidity 'Has to Improve'

The Manchester City manager has insisted his team have taken lessons from their midweek scare against Fulham and the game is now forgotten. City survived for a 5-4 win during a remarkable clash on Tuesday, after leading 5-1 with almost an hour played.

Coming after they fought off a Leeds comeback to win 3-2 in the previous game, prompting further doubts regarding if they possess the defensive steel enough to mount a challenge to leaders Arsenal. “It’s behind us,” he said. “Good learnings, hopefully. In the Premier League, for every team, you have to take onboard both good and bad in the good things and results and think of the next one.”

“Naturally I am worried,” he admitted. “We try to understand what happened, so as not to concede the goals. With the three goals by Leeds, and the five goals against Fulham it shows our sides, right? So, always we have done many good things. But the number of attempts did Leeds ? Three? Scored two. That ratio is good. And shots on target for Fulham ? Five, six? So, our ratio of shots conceded we can see too high. We have to be better.”

4. Newcastle Focus on Livramento and Botman Contracts

The Magpies' new football chief, Ross Wilson, has placed contract negotiations with key defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his agenda for the club. He joined from Nottingham Forest in October and is reassured that playmaker Sandro Tonali has a deal that runs to 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

That has left Wilson free to focus on negotiations with Livramento and Botman's agents. Livramento's agreement ending in 2027 and the latter’s in 2028, Newcastle's talks have assumed some importance.

“The initial few days in the job was when I discovered that Sandro’s contract situation is much better than the one I had thought,” said Wilson. “But it’s well known that the club would want to extend Tino’s contract and we would want to extend Sven Botman’s as well. These talks are ongoing.”

Manager Eddie Howe is missing Botman against the match against Burnley this Saturday, and he likely to be out for a further period.

5. Nuno Confirms Paquetá Returns Against Brighton

West Ham head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that Lucas Paquetá will return to the starting lineup when they play Brighton this Sunday, having completed a ban following a sending-off he received Liverpool.

“That incident is in the past,” the manager said. “I am confident it won't be repeated as he personally acknowledged the error. We discussed it about it internally. I am positive it is over and it will not happen again.”

He also acknowledged the intense pressure facing his team, who are in the relegation zone before the weekend matches. “We can't ignore it,” he said. “It's a reality. We have to face it. We are 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 strikers return from injury. Merino has been playing as an emergency No 9 because of injuries to Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored Arsenal’s opener against Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for their second goal in a 2-0 victory which preserved {their|