Burnley FC: Bristol City could punish Scott Parker for ignoring ongoing issue | OneFootball

For weeks now, Scott Parker has failed to get a #9 and #10 on the pitch together but he must do so against Bristol City

Despite what their lofty league position of fourth may suggest, all is not well at Burnley, who have been struggling for form in recent weeks.

While the form book reads just one defeat since August, which most Championship clubs would snatch your hand off for, it's been the manner of performances that has been most concerning for Burnley fans.

A lack of invention in the final third has been the main issue, and indeed, the Clarets needed a stoppage-time penalty to limp past Swansea 1-0 before the international break - a result that papered over the cracks of another poor performance.

That result means Burnley now haven't scored from open play in their last four matches, and perhaps even more worryingly, they haven't scored from open play at Turf Moor since mid-September.

Most Clarets fans acknowledge that there's a simple solution that Scott Parker continues to overlook, but with his pressure coming under growing scrutiny, he may have to finally concede this weekend as Burnley visit Bristol City.

Parker needs to get an extra attacker on the pitch

In the continued absence of the injured Lyle Foster, Burnley have been desperately short of striking options, but Parker hasn't particularly helped himself by shoehorning Zian Flemming into the number nine role rather than using one of the other two strikers he has at his disposal.

The only time he did elect to start one of Jay Rodriguez or Andreas Hountondji was when Flemming couldn't face his parent club, Millwall, so his hand was forced a little, and he switched back to his old ways the game after.

Parker has been a huge fan of having three industrious midfielders in his team, but that comes to the detriment of the attacking unit, which is essentially running a man short.

With Burnley controlling the ball in most games they play, that extra midfielder is probably unnecessary and Parker could take the handbrake off a little bit in an attempt to score more goals.

Getting a number nine on the pitch while Flemming occupies the number ten role is something that most Burnley fans are crying out to see, but with Foster still a few weeks away from returning, Parker will have to trust one of his two remaining strikers to do so.

As one of the lowest creators, scorers, and xG accumulators in the league, the evidence is staring Parker in the face that he simply needs to re-think how his side sets up in the final third.

Bristol City ought to fancy their chances of punishing Burnley

While the visit of Burnley won't be any less daunting for a Bristol City side pushing for the play-offs, they'll be acutely aware that if Parker again fails to shuffle his pack, then they're well-placed to take advantage.

As little as one goal could be enough to sink the goal-shy Clarets these days, so the Robins will fancy their chances of causing an upset, particularly given the fact Burnley have won just one of their five league games this season against sides currently in the top ten.

Bristol City's main problem will come in actually scoring that goal, as despite being painfully blunt in attack, Burnley are at least solid at the back.

Since the Championship was re-branded in 2004, no team has ever conceded fewer than the six goals Burnley have after the opening 15 matches, so Liam Manning's side certainly won't have it easy if they're to claim a scalp.

But in recent wins against Middlesbrough and Norwich City, the Robins have shown that even when their opposition dominate the ball, they only need a few chances to make their opposition pay. If the Clarets struggle to create much themselves on Saturday and Parker continues to ignore their attacking issues, then their hosts could be well-equipped to make them pay.

Should things play out that way then the Burnley boss' popularity among supporters may fall further. Indeed, if you ask most Clarets, they'd happily sacrifice being so solid at the back for a sprinkling of entertainment in the final third, as there's a growing sense that if Parker doesn't sort this issue out, his position will become untenable.