Burnley FC: Scott Parker must fix glaring issue that could derail promotion push - View | OneFootball

Despite assembling one of the strongest squads in the Championship, Burnley could come unstuck if they don't sort out their midfield issues.

After nine games of the Championship season, Burnley sit third in the Championship table and have lost just once, so you'd be forgiven for thinking all is well at Turf Moor, when in fact, rumblings of discontent have split opinion amongst supporters.

It's been a solid, if not spectacular, start to life as head coach for Scott Parker, who most Burnley fans would argue has lived up to expectations in the season's infancy after a summer of turmoil saw a raft of key players leave, with a boat load more coming in to replace them.

Such a high turnover made it likely that Clarets fans would have to be patient this season, but after winning their opening two games by a 9-1 aggregate scoreline, many believed the transition would be seamless.

Goals have dried up since then, with just five in the seven games that followed, which has left fans wondering exactly where it's all gone wrong since thrashing Cardiff 5-0 at Turf Moor a little under two months ago.

Lack of midfield creativity part of goalscoring problems

It would be amiss to give a definitive reason as to why the Clarets are struggling to find the back of the net, with Lyle Foster's lack of form, a failure to recruit a number 9 in the summer and failing to sign like-for-like replacements for summer departees all offering possible explanations as to why Burnley are blunt in the final third.

But perhaps the most glaring issue for Parker is his midfield, mainly the lack of creativity in there.

Parker has opted for substance over style in his midfield so far this season, selecting a midfield trio of Josh Cullen, Josh Brownhill and Hannibal as his go-to starters in the middle of the park.

And while all three are combative and happy to do the dirty work that often goes unnoticed, having three players in there all wanting to do the same job has led to a lack of invention, something which has cost Burnley dear over the last few rounds, dropping points against Oxford and Preston, while they limped past Plymouth at home courtesy of a penalty.

That poses the question of whether Parker needs to be more adaptable in certain games depending on the opposition, but the fact he used a strikingly similar midfield trio away to Leeds as he did at home to Plymouth suggests he'll stick to his guns.

Zian Flemming could hold the key to unlocking Burnley's true potential

One glaringly obvious solution is for Parker to drop one of his midfield trio and slot Zian Flemming into the number 10 role.

Signed from Millwall in the summer, Flemming was signed for the very reason of unlocking doors and bringing some much-needed attacking prowess to a Burnley frontline that was decimated over the summer.

Injuries have hampered his time in East Lancashire so far, but fit again, Flemming simply has to come into the fold moving forward if Burnley are to cure their attacking woes.

It will be an unenviable decision for Parker, who would have to select one of Cullen, Brownhill or Hannibal to drop out, but in the interest of winning points it's a decision he'll have to make sooner rather than later.

No goals from open play across their last 270 minutes of football - all of which came against sides vastly inferior on paper - suggests Burnley have a massive issue on their hands, and with more 'winnable' games on the horizon, the Clarets can ill-afford to keep making the same mistakes if they're serious about promotion.