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This week's Premier League updates, a key player has been given a lengthy suspension, a manager has singled out a defender's mistakes to make an argument, and the Manchester City manager has called for backline improvements after a chaotic win.

Mejbri Given Four-Game Suspension and Financial Penalty

The Clarets' player Hannibal Mejbri has been given a four-game suspension and a financial penalty for improper behaviour in a recent match against Leeds United. The governing body stated the player was referred an independent disciplinary panel after an incident of spitting towards visiting fans at the 67-minute point of a 2-0 victory for Burnley.

A statement explained: “A Regulatory Commission has sanctioned Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri due to misconduct during the top-flight match against Leeds of 18 October. It was alleged that he behaved against the rules of football and/or in an improper way and/or engaging in abusive and/or unacceptable behaviour through spitting towards the area of Leeds United supporters.”

The statement continued, “Mejbri later accepted the charge, with the Regulatory Commission handing down a four-game ban and £15,000 following a hearing. The Regulatory Commission’s full explanation for the sanction will be published in due course.” Burnley, now 19th in the table, travel to 12th-place Newcastle on Saturday.

Maresca Points to Adarabioyo's Mistakes to Prove a Point

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has stated that not having seasoned players is not an issue at team, highlighting that centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not prevent him from having a bad game during a 3-1 loss against Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who oversees the most youthful squad in the division, rejected the idea that mentality played a part in their poor result. He presented his case by singling out Tosin, Chelsea's oldest player in the lineup, after he delivered a mistake-riddled performance at the back.

“We always mention a lack of experience when we drop points,” the coach said. “After we beat Barcelona, the draw against Arsenal, nobody was talking about older personnel. I understand that if we don’t win, people are constantly looking for the reason why, but I think why we lost to Leeds is not because of the experience, it’s because we just weren't good enough.”

He added, “Who is the oldest one on our team in the match? It was Tosin. Did he play any good? Therefore, it’s not about experience. It's that those 11 men, they were simply not good enough.”

3. Guardiola Insists Defensive Solidity 'Must Improve'

The Manchester City manager has stated his team have taken lessons from their midweek thriller at Fulham with the episode is now in the past. The team survived to claim a 5-4 victory during a remarkable clash at Craven Cottage, after leading 5-1 with almost 60 minutes gone.

Coming after they fought off a fightback to win 3-2 in the prior game, it raised more questions about whether City possess resilient enough to mount a title challenge to leaders Arsenal. “That game is behind us,” Guardiola commented. “Valuable learnings, hopefully. In the Premier League, for every team, you have to take onboard what happens in the good things and bad things and focus on the next one.”

“Naturally I’m concerned,” Guardiola added. “We are trying to analyse the cause, so as not to allow the goals. With the three goals against Leeds, and five goals against Fulham it shows our sides, correct? So, we have done plenty of good things. But how many shots on target did Leeds have? Three? Scored two. It’s not good. And attempts did Fulham ? Five, six? So our ratio of shots conceded is is high. We have to be better.”

4. Newcastle Focus New Defenders' Deals

Newcastle United's recently appointed sporting director, Ross Wilson, has placed contract discussions with key backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his to-do list for the club. Wilson arrived from Nottingham Forest recently and was reassured that playmaker Sandro Tonali has a deal that runs to 2029 with an option until 2030.

This allows Wilson free to prioritise negotiations with Livramento and Botman's representatives. With the former’s agreement ending in 2027 and Botman's a year later, Newcastle's talks are being treated with a certain urgency.

“The initial three or four days in the job is when I discovered that Sandro’s deal was significantly more secure than I had thought,” said Wilson. “But it’s well known that the club would want to renew Tino’s contract and also wants to extend Sven Botman’s too. These talks are ongoing.”

Manager Eddie Howe is without Botman for the home game against Burnley on Saturday, and he likely to be out for another week.

5. Nuno Says Paquetá Returns Against Brighton

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá is back to the starting lineup for they face Brighton this Sunday, having completed a ban for the red card against Liverpool.

“That incident is behind us,” the manager remarked. “I am confident it will not happen again because he personally admitted his mistake. We spoke about it in the dressing room. I believe it is over and will not happen again.”

He also acknowledged the significant strain facing his team, currently in the relegation zone before the weekend fixtures. “We cannot avoid it,” he admitted. “It's the situation. We have to confront it. We're battling for our top-flight status. We cannot shy away from it.”

6. Arteta Impressed by Striker Deputy Merino

The Spanish midfielder could continue as Arsenal’s centre-forward even when their regular strikers return from injury. The midfielder has been playing as an emergency No 9 due to fitness issues for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He scored the first goal against Brentford and set up Bukayo Saka for their second goal in a 2-0 victory which preserved {their|