Burnley FC: Scott Parker should consider player U-turn v West Brom | OneFootball

Having been dropped from the line up in the last few weeks, Scott Parker may look to bring Lucas Pires back into the side at West Brom

Recruited in the summer from Santos, life in a Burnley shirt started well for Lucas Pires but he's since fallen out of favour at Turf Moor.

Pires' arrival was celebrated in the summer as, after Charlie Taylor left, Burnley didn't have a recognised left-back on their books and there were high hopes that he would be the person to come in and make that spot his own.

After laying on two assists on debut against Luto Town, most Clarets fans acknowledged that the defender looked to be the perfect replacement at full-back but that joy was short-lived, as after a string of indifferent performances, he lost his place in the side.

Bashir Humphreys was elected to deputise by Scott Parker and he initially impressed at left-back but he's since stagnated, leaving Parker with a huge decision of who he picks at left-back on Thursday night.

Is he brave and goes with the more attacking option of Pires, or does he play it safe and stick with the more solid option of Humphreys?

The left-back situation is something of a selection headache for Parker, who has two completely different types of player to choose from, thus giving him two completely different ways of setting up.

Going away to West Brom, one of the more difficult games in the league, it would be easy to suggest he'll stick with Humphreys, who's the more defensive of his two options, to keep the back line shored up.

However, things aren't really that simple for Parker anymore, as he's coming in for intense scrutiny from Burnley fans because his side simply can't score goals.

As such, he's left with a difficult conundrum - does he put a more attacking full-back in and risk losing some of that defensive solidity, or does he stick with the more defensive option and risk facing the wrath of the Burnley fans if they draw another scoring blank?

It really is a thankless task for Parker, who's caught between a rock and a hard place, but most Burnley fans would urge him to perform a U-turn and bring Pires back into the side in a desperate bid to become more exciting in the final third.

Playing Pires would be a statement of intent against a promotion rival

Is Pires the answer to all of Burnley's attacking issues? Of course, he isn't. But he is a far more positive choice at left back than Humphreys, and right now, Clarets fans just want to see positivity and a bit of entertainment.

He isn't the most technical Brazilian footballer you're ever likely to see, and Roberto Carlos' legacy certainly isn't under threat, but he's showcased already this season that he can make a telling impact going forward.

Pires has the athleticism required of a modern-day full-back and his overlapping runs from left back are a weapon that Burnley haven't utilised enough this season.

They're something Clarets fans will hope to finally see again at The Hawthorns, and in truth, Parker is going to have to make drastic changes after last weekend's turgid 1-0 defeat against Millwall.

Pires should be one of them as Burnley look to remedy their attacking woes, but it would need a remarkable U-turn from Parker, one which against a bigger side is hard to see him making, however bad Burnley were last weekend.