Where Has the Excitement Gone? The Fall of the Goal Scoring
A major talking point of England's top flight season so far has been the decline of goals scored in open play and how teams have been scoring increasingly from set-pieces as an alternative.
Comparing goal sources to matchday 11 the prior season, we see a drop of 39 scored in open-play and 26 more from team set-pieces and penalties, leading to 13 fewer in total.
If we look at the broader view, efforts on goal clubs are making show an incredible drop of 370 in open-play than at this stage last time out.
Even with the notable jump in set-play finishes, records show a mere two extra shots produced from them excluding penalties, indicating the efficiency clubs have been at finding ways to convert from set-pieces.
Goal Statistics Show a Story
Over 300 goals notched in 110 games up to now works out at 2.74 goals per game, if maintained for the entire campaign could be the smallest for five years, back in 2020-21 (2.69).
However, only 196 scores coming in open play translates to 1.78 per game and is on course to be the least for 16 seasons, back in 2009-10 (1.76 average).
The 2009-10 season also marks the unique EPL season to witness goals scored at a higher rate from dead-balls without spot-kicks than this season's rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 average).
Which Teams Are Most Responsible?
When it comes to goals scored from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen the largest decrease, scoring a mere four in 11 matches, 10 fewer than at this stage the previous campaign.
Apart from Wolves, England's top division's decline in goals from open play is predominantly a trend among London clubs, with half of the capital's seven sides scoring at least five less scores from open play than the previous year.
To be fair, that's largely down to their scoring many goals at the early stages of last season instead of them having difficulty to score in open-play this season.
At the same time City have recorded the biggest increase, with nearly all of their 23 scores to date originating in open-play.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Comparing newly promoted sides with the teams that went down they replaced. Sunderland the Black Cats have netted an additional three goals in open play than the Saints did in their opening 11 matches on their way to relegation last season.
Regarding goals scored from dead-ball situations (not counting spot-kicks), Arsenal and the Blues have seen the biggest increase, with both sides replacing the five fewer scores that they've scored in open play with the same number from dead-ball situations.
Manchester United have recorded two times more goals from set-pieces as they managed in the first 11 matches the previous campaign before Ruben Amorim took over, while the Black Cats additionally have been better at netting than the club they replaced they superseded.
Manchester City seem unaware of the memo about scoring more from set-pieces, since they've recorded three fewer than last season, similar to Nottingham Forest, though that might be down to the change in style they have tried to implement.
Overall Patterns
Six teams – the Gunners, the Blues, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Tottenham and West Ham – represent this season's top trend-setters by netting less goals from open play and increased from set-plays, while City are the unique club to go against the grain so far by achieving the exact opposite.
It remains to be seen to observe if sides continue to place such emphasis on set-plays as matches continue or if they regain their overall inventiveness and begin netting more goals in open-play as well.
