Is the Entertainment Fading? This Drop of Open-Play Goals from Open Play
One of the biggest stories of England's top flight season so far concerns the reduction of goals scored in open play and the way clubs have been scoring increasingly from set-plays instead.
Looking at how goals have been scored to the first 11 games the prior season, we see 39 fewer scored in open-play and 26 more from team set-pieces and penalties, giving us 13 fewer in total.
If we look at overall statistics, the number of shots clubs are making have seen an incredible 370 fewer in open-play than this time previously.
Even with the big increase in dead-ball scores, we've actually seen only two additional attempts produced from these situations outside of penalties, showing the proficiency teams have been at finding ways to convert from dead-ball chances.
Scoring Rates Tell the Tale
The 301 goals scored in the first 110 fixtures so far averages out at 2.74 goals per fixture, which if it continued for the whole season could be the lowest for since 2020-21, back in 2020-21 (2.69 per game).
But just 196 scores coming in open-play translates to 1.78 per fixture and is tracking to be the lowest for 16 seasons, back in 2009-10 (1.76).
That campaign is also the only Premier League campaign to witness goals scored at a higher rate from non-penalty set-pieces than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79 average).
Which Teams Are Most Responsible?
When it comes to goals scored from open-play, Wolves have recorded by far the biggest decline, netting just four in 11 games, 10 less than this point the previous campaign.
Excluding Wolverhampton, the Premier League's decline in goals from open play is predominantly a London phenomenon, with five of the city's seven teams netting a minimum of five goals fewer from open-play than the previous year.
To be fair, this is primarily due to them netting many scores at the beginning of last season rather than their genuine struggle to find the net in open play this campaign.
Meanwhile City have seen the biggest increase, with nearly all of their 23 goals so far originating in open-play.
Set-Piece Success
We've compared clubs that came up with the relegated sides they replaced. Play-off champions Sunderland have scored an additional three goals in open play than the Saints achieved in their first 11 games leading to demotion last season.
When it comes to goals scored from set-plays (excluding spot-kicks), Arsenal and the Blues have seen the biggest increase, with both sides compensating for the five fewer goals that they've produced in open play with the same number from dead-ball situations.
Man United have scored two times more goals from set-plays as they managed in the 11 games last season prior to their coach took over, while Sunderland once more have been better at scoring than the fellow red-and-whites they replaced.
City seem unaware of the memo about netting additional goals from set-plays, since they've netted three less than last season, similar to Nottingham Forest, even if that might be down to the tactical shift they've attempted to adopt.
Overall Patterns
Six clubs – the Gunners, Chelsea, Fulham, Newcastle, Spurs and the Hammers – have been this term's top trend-setters by recording fewer scores from open play and additional from set-pieces, while Manchester City stand as the sole team to go against the grain to date by doing the exact opposite.
It will be fascinating to watch if sides carry on to rely so heavily on set-plays as the season goes on or if they rediscover their overall inventiveness and commence scoring additional scores in open-play as well.