English Football News: Mejbri Banned for Spitting; City Boss Says 'Back Line Must Improve'

This week's top-flight updates, a significant player has been issued a significant ban, a manager has singled to a player's errors to make an argument, and the Manchester City manager has called for backline improvements following a wild victory.

Mejbri Issued Four-Game Ban and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was issued a four-match suspension and a £15,000 fine for improper behaviour during a recent match against Leeds United. The Football Association confirmed Mejbri was referred an independent disciplinary panel after allegations of spitting in the direction of away supporters around the 67th mark of a 2-0 victory by Burnley.

An FA release read: “A Regulatory Commission has punished the Hannibal Mejbri due to misconduct during their top-flight match with Leeds on 18 October. It was alleged that he behaved in breach of the laws of the game and/or in a poor way by using abusive and indecent conduct through spitting towards the area of Leeds United fans.”

It added, “Mejbri subsequently admitted the allegation, with the Regulatory Commission imposed a four-game ban and a fine after a hearing. The panel's written reasons for its decisions will be published at a later date.” The team, now 19th in the table, travel to 12th-placed Newcastle this Saturday.

Maresca Points to Tosin's Mistakes to Prove an Argument

The Blues' manager Enzo Maresca has argued that not having experience is not an issue at team, pointing out how defender Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not prevent the 28-year-old from playing poorly in the defeat to Leeds United.

Maresca, who manages the most youthful team in the Premier League, rejected the idea that mentality was a factor in their poor result. He presented his case by criticising Tosin, Chelsea's oldest outfield player in the lineup, who produced a mistake-riddled performance in central defence.

“People always talk about experience when we fail to win,” Maresca stated. “After we beat Barcelona, we drew with Arsenal, no one was talking about experienced players. I know that when we don’t win, people are always looking for an explanation, but in my view the reason why we lost against Leeds is not because of the experience, it was because we were not at our best.”

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

3. Guardiola Says Defence 'Must Get Better'

The Manchester City manager has insisted his team have learnt from their midweek scare at Fulham with the episode has now been forgotten. The team survived to claim a 5-4 victory during a remarkable encounter at Craven Cottage, after leading 5-1 with almost 60 minutes gone.

This followed they fought off a Leeds fightback to win 3-2 in the prior game, prompting more questions regarding if City are the defensive steel enough to mount a title challenge against pace-setters Arsenal. “That game is forgotten,” Guardiola commented. “Good learnings, hopefully. In the Premier League, at all the clubs, you have to take onboard both good and bad in the good things and bad things and focus on what's next.”

“Of course I’m concerned,” Guardiola added. “We try to understand what happened, to not concede the goals. After conceding three scored by Leeds, and the five against Fulham it shows our versions, correct? Therefore, we have done plenty of positive things. But how many attempts had Leeds have? Three? Scored two. That ratio is bad. How many attempts for Fulham have? Five, six? So, the average of chances conceded is is high. We must be better.”

4. Newcastle Prioritise on Defenders' Contracts

Newcastle United's recently appointed sporting director, Ross Wilson, has placed contract discussions involving key backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his agenda at St James’ Park. Wilson joined after leaving Nottingham Forest in October and was pleased that midfielder Sandro Tonali has a contract extending until 2029 with an option until 2030.

That has left Wilson free to prioritise talks with Livramento and Botman's agents. With the former’s current deal set to expire in 2027 and the latter’s a year later, the club's efforts have assumed a certain importance.

“The initial three or four days after starting is when I discovered that Sandro’s deal was significantly more secure than I had thought,” said Wilson. “However, it is well known that the club would want to extend Tino’s deal and we would want to extend Sven Botman’s as well. These talks are underway.”

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

5. Nuno Confirms Paquetá Returns Against Brighton

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that Lucas Paquetá is back to start for the side face Brighton this Sunday, after serving a ban for the sending-off he received Liverpool.

“That incident is behind us,” Nuno said. “I am confident it will not happen again because he himself admitted the error. We discussed it internally. I am positive the matter is closed and it will not happen again.”

He also understands the intense strain on his side, who are in the relegation zone ahead of Saturday's fixtures. “We cannot avoid it,” he admitted. “It is a reality. We must confront it. We're fighting for survival. We can't hide it.”

6. Arteta Impressed by Striker Deputy Merino

Mikel Merino could continue as Arsenal’s central striker even when their regular frontmen return from injury. Merino has been deployed as an emergency No 9 due to injuries to Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored the opener versus Brentford before assisting Bukayo Saka for their second in a 2-0 win which preserved {their|