Are You Not Being Entertained? This Decline of the Goals from Open Play
A major talking point of the Premier League this campaign has been the reduction of scoring in open play and the way teams are netting increasingly from set-plays as an alternative.
Comparing how goals have been scored to the first 11 games the prior season, we see a drop of 39 goals in open play and 26 more from set-plays and spot-kicks, leading to 13 fewer in total.
Examining the broader view, efforts on goal teams are taking reveal a staggering drop of 370 in open play than this time previously.
Even with the notable jump in dead-ball scores, records show a mere two extra attempts created from them excluding penalties, indicating how effective clubs are at discovering methods to score from dead-ball chances.
Goal Statistics Reveal a Story
301 total goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures to date works out at 2.74 scores per game, which if it continued for the entire campaign might be the least for five years, from five seasons ago (2.69 average).
But just under 200 goals coming in open play averages out 1.78 per game and is on course to be the least for since 2009-10, since 2009-10 (1.76).
That campaign also marks the sole English top-flight campaign to see goals scored more frequently from non-penalty set-pieces than this season's rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 average).
Which Sides Account for This Change?
When it comes to scoring from open-play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have experienced the largest decrease, registering only four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 less than this point last season.
Outside of Wolverhampton, the Premier League's drop in goals from open play is very much a London thing, with five of the capital's seven sides recording at least five fewer goals from open play than the previous year.
To be fair, that's largely down to them scoring lots of scores at the beginning of the previous campaign instead of them really struggling to find the net in open-play this season.
At the same time Manchester City have experienced the most significant jump, with almost every one of their 23 scores this season originating in open play.
Set-Piece Success
Comparing newly promoted sides with the teams that went down that they superseded. Sunderland the Black Cats have recorded an additional three goals in open play than the Saints achieved in their opening 11 matches leading to relegation the previous campaign.
Regarding goals scored from set-plays (excluding penalties), the Gunners and Chelsea have experienced the most significant jump, with the two clubs replacing the five less scores that they've netted in open-play with the same number from dead-ball situations.
United have scored two times more goals from set-plays as they managed in the 11 games last season before the manager assumed control, while the Black Cats once more are more effective at netting than the club they replaced they superseded.
Man City don't seem to have got the memo about scoring more from set-pieces, since they've scored three less than last season, as have the Reds, even if this could be because of the change in style they've attempted to adopt.
General Tendencies
Six teams – the Gunners, Chelsea, Fulham, Newcastle, Spurs and the Hammers – have been this season's top trend-setters by recording fewer scores from open-play and additional from set-pieces, while Manchester City stand as the only side to buck the trend up to now by achieving the exact opposite.
It remains to be seen to observe if sides continue to depend greatly on set-pieces as matches continue or if they regain their general attacking flair and begin scoring additional scores in open play as well.
