English Football News: Hannibal Banned for Spitting; Guardiola Says 'Defence Must Improve'

From the world of English football developments, a notable player has been given a lengthy suspension, a manager has singled out a defender's errors to prove an argument, and Pep Guardiola has called for defensive betterment following a wild victory.

Mejbri Issued Four-Match Ban and Fine

The Clarets' midfielder Hannibal Mejbri has been issued a four-match ban and a financial fine for misconduct during a recent fixture versus Leeds United. The governing body confirmed Mejbri faced a separate disciplinary panel following an incident where he spat in the direction of visiting fans around the 67-minute point during a 2-0 victory by Burnley.

A statement read: “A Regulatory Commission has sanctioned the Hannibal Mejbri due to misconduct during their top-flight game against Leeds on 18 October. The charge was that the player acted against the laws of the game or in a poor way by engaging in abusive and/or indecent behaviour through spitting at or in the area of Leeds United fans.”

The statement added, “Mejbri later accepted the charge, and the Regulatory Commission imposed a four-game suspension and £15,000 after proceedings. The Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for its decisions are to be released in due course.” The team, currently in 19th place in the Premier League table, visit 12th-place Newcastle on Saturday.

Maresca Points to Tosin's Mistakes to Prove an Argument

The Blues' manager Enzo Maresca has argued that a lack of experience is not a problem for his club, pointing out that defender Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not prevent the 28-year-old from playing a bad game during a 3-1 defeat to Leeds United.

The Italian coach, who oversees the most youthful squad in the division, does not feel that inexperience was a factor in the setback. He made his argument by criticising Tosin, Chelsea's most experienced player on the pitch, who delivered a mistake-riddled performance in central defence.

“People always talk about a lack of experience when we fail to win,” Maresca said. “When we defeated Barcelona, we drew with Arsenal, no one was mentioning older players. I understand that when we lose, people are constantly searching for the reason why, but I think the reason why we didn’t win against Leeds is not because of inexperience, it’s because we were not good enough.”

He added, “Who was the most senior player for us on the pitch? Who was? Was he good? Therefore, it’s not about experience. It's that those 11 men, they were not good enough.”

Guardiola Insists Defence 'Must Get Better'

Pep Guardiola has stated his team have taken lessons from a recent thriller at Fulham with the episode is now in the past. The team held on to claim a 5-4 victory during a incredible encounter on Tuesday, having led 5-1 with almost 60 minutes gone.

This followed they fought off a Leeds comeback and won 3-2 in their prior fixture, it raised further doubts regarding if they possess resilient required to mount a challenge to leaders Arsenal. “It’s forgotten,” he commented. “Good learnings, hopefully. At this level, at all the clubs, one must take onboard what happens performances and results and think of the next one.”

“Of course I’m concerned,” Guardiola added. “We are trying to analyse what happened, so as not to concede the goals. With the three goals against Leeds, and five by Fulham you can see the two sides, correct? So, always done many positive things. Yet how many attempts did Leeds ? Three? Scored two. It’s not bad. And shots on target did Fulham ? Five, six? So, our ratio of chances conceded is is high. We have to be better.”

Newcastle Focus on Livramento and Botman Contracts

The Magpies' recently appointed football chief, Ross Wilson, has placed contract negotiations involving important defenders Tino Livramento and Sven Botman the priority on his to-do list at St James’ Park. He joined from Nottingham Forest recently and was pleased that playmaker Sandro Tonali is on a deal extending to 2029 and, potentially, 2030.

That has left Wilson to prioritise talks with Livramento and Botman's representatives. Livramento's agreement set to expire in 2027 and the latter’s a year later, the club's efforts are being treated with some importance.

“The initial three or four days after starting is when I found that Sandro’s deal is significantly better than I was expecting,” he stated. “However, it is no secret that the club wishes to extend Tino’s deal and we wants to extend Sven Botman’s as well. Those discussions are ongoing.”

Manager Eddie Howe will be without Botman against the home game with Burnley this Saturday, and he likely to remain sidelined for a further period.

Nuno Confirms Paquetá Will Start Against Brighton

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá will return to start for they play Brighton this Sunday, after serving his suspension for the red card he received Liverpool.

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

He also acknowledged the intense strain facing his team, who are in the relegation zone ahead of Saturday's fixtures. “We can't avoid it,” he admitted. “It's a reality. We have to confront it. We're battling for survival. We can't shy away from it.”

Arteta Pleased with No 9 Deputy Merino

The Spanish midfielder may keep his place leading the line for Arsenal centre-forward despite the club's usual strikers return from injury. The midfielder has been playing as an emergency No 9 due to fitness issues 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 victory that maintained {their|