Is the Entertainment Fading? This Fall of the Goals from Open Play
One of the biggest stories of England's top flight this campaign has been the drop of scoring in open play and the way sides have been scoring more from set-plays instead.
When we compare goal sources to the first 11 games last season, there have been 39 fewer scored in open-play and 26 more from set-plays and penalties, resulting in 13 less overall.
Examining overall statistics, the number of shots teams are taking reveal a staggering drop of 370 in open play than at this stage last season.
Regardless of the big increase in set-piece goals, records show only two additional shots generated from these situations excluding spot-kicks, demonstrating the proficiency teams are at discovering methods to net from dead-ball chances.
Goal Averages Tell an Interesting Narrative
301 total goals scored in 110 games so far works out at 2.74 scores per fixture, if this persists for the entire campaign might be the smallest for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69 average).
However, only 196 goals coming in open-play translates to 1.78 per fixture and is tracking to be the smallest for 16 years, since 2009-10 (1.76).
The 2009-10 season additionally represents the only Premier League campaign to witness scoring at a higher rate from set-plays excluding penalties than this season's rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79).
Which Sides Account for This Change?
In terms of goals scored from open-play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have experienced the largest decrease, scoring a mere four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 fewer than at this stage the previous campaign.
Apart from Wolverhampton, the EPL's fall in open play goals is largely a trend among London clubs, with five of the city's seven teams netting five or more less scores from open play than the previous year.
To be fair, that's largely down to their scoring numerous scores at the early stages of the previous campaign instead of them really struggling to score in open-play this campaign.
At the same time Manchester City have experienced the biggest increase, with all but one of the 23 they've scored this season arriving in open-play.
Set-Piece Success
Comparing clubs that came up with the relegated sides that they superseded. Play-off winners Sunderland have recorded three more goals in open play than Southampton did in their first 11 games en route to demotion last season.
When it comes to scoring from set-pieces (not counting spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have experienced the most significant jump, with both sides replacing the five fewer scores that they've netted in open-play with the same number from dead-ball chances.
United have scored two times more goals from set-pieces as they did in the first 11 matches last season ahead of Ruben Amorim took charge, while the Black Cats once more prove more effective at netting than the similar-colored team they replaced.
Manchester City don't seem to have got the trend about scoring more from set-plays, as they've netted a reduction of three than last season, as have Forest, even if this could be because of the tactical shift they have tried to implement.
Overall Patterns
Six teams – the Gunners, the Blues, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Spurs and West Ham – represent the current campaign's top trend-setters by recording fewer scores from open-play and increased from set-pieces, while City represent the only side to go against the grain so far by doing the contrary.
It remains to be seen to watch if sides continue to place such emphasis on set-plays as the campaign progresses or if they regain their general attacking flair and start converting more goals in open-play also.
