Where Has the Excitement Gone? The Decline of the Goals from Open Play

One of the biggest stories of the Premier League season so far has been the drop of goals scored in open-play scenarios and how sides are finding goals increasingly from dead-ball situations as an alternative.

Looking at goal sources to the initial 11 matches the prior season, we note 39 fewer scored in open-play and 26 more from team set-pieces and spot-kicks, resulting in 13 less in total.

Considering overall statistics, efforts on goal clubs are making reveal a staggering 370 fewer in open-play than this time previously.

Even with the notable jump in dead-ball scores, we've actually seen a mere two extra attempts generated from these situations excluding penalties, demonstrating the proficiency sides have been at finding ways to convert from dead-ball situations.

Scoring Rates Show a Story

The 301 goals scored in 110 matches to date calculates at 2.74 scores per fixture, if maintained for all 38 games would be the smallest for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69 per game).

But just under 200 goals scored in open-play translates to 1.78 per game and is tracking to be the lowest for 16 years, since 2009-10 (1.76 per game).

The 2009-10 season also marks the sole English top-flight season to witness scoring at a higher rate from set-plays excluding penalties than the current rate of 0.77 per game (0.79).

Which Sides Account for This Change?

Regarding goals scored from open-play, Wolves have seen the most significant decline, registering just four in 11 matches, 10 less than at this stage the previous campaign.

Excluding Wolves, the EPL's drop in goals from open play is predominantly a London thing, with five out of the capital's seven sides netting at least five fewer goals from open play than last season.

In fairness, that's largely down to their scoring lots of scores at the beginning of the previous campaign as opposed to their genuine struggle to convert in open play this season.

Meanwhile Man City have seen the largest rise, with all but one of their 23 scores so far coming in open-play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Comparing clubs that came up with the teams that went down that they superseded. Play-off winners the Black Cats have recorded three extra goals in open play than Southampton managed in their first 11 games leading to the drop the previous campaign.

Regarding goals scored from set-pieces (aside from penalties), the Gunners and Chelsea have seen the most significant jump, with each team making up for the five fewer scores that they've scored in open-play with identical figures from dead-ball chances.

Manchester United have scored two times more goals from set-plays as they achieved in matchday 11 last season before Ruben Amorim took over, while Sunderland again have been better at netting than the similar-colored team they replaced.

Man City don't seem to have got the memo about increasing scoring from set-pieces, because they've recorded a reduction of three than last season, like the Reds, though that might be down to the altered approach they have tried to implement.

League-Wide Trends

Six teams – Arsenal, Chelsea, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Spurs and the Hammers – are this season's top trend-setters by netting less scores from open play and additional from set-pieces, while Man City stand as the unique club to go against the grain so far by doing the exact opposite.

It will be fascinating to watch if sides continue to place such emphasis on set-plays as the season goes on or if they find again their general attacking flair and start converting increased totals in open play also.