Premier League Headlines: Hannibal Suspended for Misconduct; City Boss Says 'Defence Must Improve'
This week's top-flight updates, a key midfielder was handed a significant ban, a manager has pointed out a player's mistakes to make a point, and Pep Guardiola has demanded defensive betterment after an erratic win.
1. Mejbri Handed Four-Match Suspension and Financial Penalty
The Clarets' player Hannibal Mejbri was handed a four-match ban and a £15,000 fine for misconduct during a recent match against Leeds United. The governing body stated the player faced a separate disciplinary panel following an incident of spitting towards visiting supporters at the 67th mark of a 2-0 win by Burnley.
An FA release said: “A disciplinary panel has punished Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri due to misconduct in their top-flight match against Leeds of 18 October. It was alleged that he behaved against the rules of football and/or in a poor way and/or engaging in offensive and/or unacceptable conduct through spitting towards the area of Leeds United fans.”
It added, “Mejbri later admitted the allegation, and the Regulatory Commission imposed a four-game suspension and £15,000 following proceedings. The Regulatory Commission’s full explanation for its decisions are to be released in due course.” The team, currently 19th in the Premier League table, travel to 12th-placed Newcastle on Saturday.
2. Maresca Singles Out Adarabioyo's Mistakes to Make an Argument
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has argued that not having experience is no a problem for his team, highlighting how defender Tosin Adarabioyo's years did not stop the 28-year-old from playing poorly in the loss against Leeds United.
The Italian coach, who oversees the most youthful squad in the division, rejected the idea that inexperience played a part in their poor result. He made his case by singling out Tosin, Chelsea's most experienced player on the pitch, after he produced an error-strewn performance at the back.
“People always talk about a lack of experience after we fail to win,” the coach said. “After we defeated Barcelona, the draw with Arsenal, nobody was mentioning older players. I know that when we don’t win, people are always searching for the reason why, but in my view why we lost against Leeds was not down to the experience, it was because we were not good enough.”
He added, “Who was the oldest one on our team in the match? Who was? Was he good? So, it’s not about his age. It’s about those 11 players, they were not good enough.”
Guardiola Insists Defensive Solidity 'Has to Get Better'
The Manchester City manager has insisted his team have taken lessons from a midweek thriller at Fulham and the episode has now been forgotten. City survived to claim a 5-4 win in a remarkable encounter on Tuesday, having led 5-1 with almost 60 minutes gone.
Coming after they resisted a fightback to win 3-2 in their prior game, prompting further doubts regarding if City possess the defensive steel required to mount a challenge to leaders Arsenal. “That game is behind us,” Guardiola commented. “Valuable learnings, I hope. In the Premier League, at all the clubs, you have to learn from what happens performances and results and think of what's next.”
“Naturally I am worried,” he admitted. “We are trying to understand the cause, so as not to concede the goals. After conceding three scored against Leeds, and the five against Fulham it shows the two versions, right? Therefore, we have done plenty of positive things. Yet how many shots on target did Leeds have? Three? Scored two. It’s not bad. And attempts did Fulham ? Five, six? So the average of chances conceded is is high. We have to improve.”
Newcastle Prioritise on Defenders' Deals
Newcastle United's recently appointed sporting director, Ross Wilson, has made new deal negotiations with important backline players Tino Livramento and Sven Botman at the top of his to-do list for the club. He joined from Nottingham Forest recently and was pleased to learn playmaker Sandro Tonali is on a contract that runs to 2029 and, potentially, 2030.
This allows Wilson to prioritise negotiations with Livramento and Botman's agents. With the former’s agreement ending in 2027 and the latter’s in 2028, Newcastle's efforts are being treated with some urgency.
“The initial three or four days after starting was when I discovered that Sandro’s deal is significantly more secure than I was expecting,” said Wilson. “However, it is well known that the club wishes to renew Tino’s contract and also would want to extend Sven Botman’s too. Those discussions are underway.”
Manager Eddie Howe will be without Botman against the home game against Burnley this Saturday, and he likely to be out for a further period.
Nuno Confirms Paquetá Returns for West Ham
West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Lucas Paquetá is back to start when the side face Brighton on Sunday, having completed a ban for the red card against Liverpool.
“It is in the past,” the manager remarked. “I am positive it will not happen again because he personally acknowledged his mistake. We discussed it about it in the dressing room. I believe it is over and it will not happen again.”
He also acknowledged the intense strain on his side, currently 18th before Saturday's fixtures. “We can't ignore it,” he said. “It is the situation. We have to confront it. We are fighting for our top-flight status. We can't hide it.”
Arteta Pleased with No 9 Deputy Merino
Mikel Merino may keep his place as Arsenal’s centre-forward even when 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.
Merino found the net for Arsenal’s opener against Brentford and set up Bukayo Saka for their second in a 2-0 win which preserved {their|
