🔗 Share this article

A major talking point of the Premier League this campaign concerns the drop of goals scored in open play and the way sides are netting more from dead-ball situations instead.

Comparing how goals have been scored to matchday 11 last season, there have been 39 fewer goals in open play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and spot-kicks, leading to 13 fewer overall.

Considering the broader view, shot attempts clubs are making show a staggering drop of 370 in open play than at this stage last season.

Even with the notable jump in dead-ball scores, we've actually seen just two more attempts created from these situations excluding spot-kicks, demonstrating the efficiency teams have been at finding ways to score from set-pieces.

Goal Statistics Tell the Tale

Over 300 goals notched in 110 games to date calculates at 2.74 goals per game, if this persists for all 38 games would be the least for half a decade, back in 2020-21 (2.69 average).

Yet merely under 200 goals coming in open play averages out 1.78 per fixture and is on course to be the lowest for 16 seasons, from 16 years ago (1.76).

That campaign additionally represents the unique EPL season to see scoring at a higher rate from dead-balls without spot-kicks than the current rate of 0.77 each match (0.79 per game).

Which Sides Account for This Change?

When it comes to scoring from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen by far the biggest decline, netting only four in 11 games, a reduction of 10 than this point the previous campaign.

Outside of Wolves, England's top division's decline in open-play scoring is very much a trend among London clubs, with five of the capital's seven sides scoring a minimum of five less scores from open-play than last season.

In fairness, this is mainly because them netting numerous scores at the early stages of last season instead of their genuine struggle to find the net in open play the current term.

At the same time Man City have recorded the largest rise, with all but one of the 23 they've scored so far arriving in open play.

Set-Play Proficiency

Looking at clubs that came up with those that were relegated that they superseded. Sunderland the Black Cats have recorded three extra goals in open play than the Saints did in their first 11 games on their way to relegation the previous campaign.

In terms of scoring from set-plays (not counting spot-kicks), the Gunners and the Blues have recorded the largest rise, with the two clubs replacing the reduction of five scores that they've produced in open-play with the same number from dead-ball situations.

Manchester United have netted double the number goals from set-plays as they achieved in the 11 games last season before their coach took charge, while the Black Cats once more are more effective at netting than the fellow red-and-whites they replaced.

City appear not to have received the memo about increasing scoring from set-plays, since they've scored three fewer than last season, similar to the Reds, though this could be because of the altered approach they're working to install.

Overall Patterns

Six sides – Arsenal, the Blues, Fulham, Newcastle, Tottenham and the Hammers – are this term's primary examples by scoring fewer scores from open-play and increased from set-pieces, while Man City stand as the unique club to defy the pattern so far by achieving the complete reverse.

It will be interesting to observe if teams persist to depend greatly on set-plays as the campaign progresses or if they find again their overall inventiveness and begin netting more goals in open play also.