Where Has the Excitement Gone? The Decline of Open-Play Goals from Open Play
One of the biggest stories of the EPL season so far has been the reduction of goals scored in open-play scenarios and the way clubs have been scoring more from set-plays as an alternative.
Comparing scoring methods to the first 11 games last season, we note 39 fewer scored in open-play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and penalties, leading to 13 fewer overall.
Considering the bigger picture, efforts on goal sides are producing reveal a staggering 370 fewer in open play than this time previously.
Regardless of the significant rise in set-play finishes, records show only two additional shots generated from these situations outside of spot-kicks, showing how effective sides are at devising strategies to net from set-pieces.
Goal Averages Show an Interesting Narrative
301 total goals notched in 110 games to date averages out at nearly 2.75 goals per fixture, if this persists for the entire campaign would be the lowest for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69).
But just 196 goals scored in open play equates to 1.78 per fixture and is on course to be the lowest for since 2009-10, back in 2009-10 (1.76).
2009-10 is also the sole English top-flight campaign to experience scoring more frequently from dead-balls without spot-kicks than the current rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 per game).
Which Teams Are Most Responsible?
Regarding scoring from open-play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have experienced by far the biggest decline, scoring just four in 11 games, a reduction of 10 than at this stage last season.
Excluding Wolves, the EPL's drop in goals from open play is largely a London thing, with half of the city's seven teams recording at least five less scores from open-play than the prior season.
Honestly, that's largely down to them netting lots of goals at the start of the previous campaign as opposed to them having difficulty to find the net in open-play this campaign.
Meanwhile Man City have seen the most significant jump, with all but one of their 23 scores this season arriving in open play.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Looking at the promoted teams with the teams that went down that they superseded. Play-off winners Sunderland have scored three more goals in open-play than the Saints achieved in matchday 11 on their way to the drop the previous campaign.
When it comes to scoring from set-plays (excluding spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have recorded the largest rise, with each team replacing the reduction of five scores that they've netted in open play with the same number from dead-ball situations.
Manchester United have netted double the number goals from set-plays as they managed in the 11 games last season before the manager took charge, while Sunderland additionally have been better at scoring than the similar-colored team they superseded.
Man City seem unaware of the memo about increasing scoring from set-pieces, as they've netted three less than last season, similar to Forest, even if that might be down to the change in style they have tried to implement.
General Tendencies
Six sides – Arsenal, the Blues, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Tottenham and West Ham – represent this term's leading trend-followers by netting less goals from open play and increased from set-pieces, while Man City represent the unique club to defy the pattern so far by performing the contrary.
It will be interesting to see if sides continue to depend greatly on set-pieces as the campaign progresses or if they find again their all-round creativity and begin converting additional scores in open-play too.
