Are You Not Being Entertained? The Drop of the Goal Scoring
A key narrative of the Premier League this campaign is the decline of scoring in open play and how sides have been scoring increasingly from set-plays as an alternative.
Looking at scoring methods to the initial 11 matches last season, we note 39 fewer goals in open play and 26 more from set-plays and penalties, resulting in 13 less altogether.
Examining overall statistics, shot attempts clubs are making reveal a staggering 370 fewer in open play than this time last time out.
And despite the big increase in set-piece goals, we've actually seen just two more attempts produced from these situations excluding penalties, showing how effective teams have been at devising strategies to net from set-pieces.
Goal Statistics Reveal the Tale
301 total goals notched in the first 110 fixtures up to now calculates at 2.74 goals each match, which if it continued for the entire campaign might be the smallest for five years, from five seasons ago (2.69).
But just under 200 goals coming in open play translates to 1.78 per game and is heading to be the lowest for 16 seasons, back in 2009-10 (1.76 per game).
The 2009-10 season additionally represents the only Premier League campaign to see goals scored more frequently from non-penalty set-pieces than this season's rate of 0.77 per game (0.79 average).
Which Sides Bear the Most Responsibility?
In terms of goals scored from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen the most significant decline, netting just four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 less than at this stage the previous campaign.
Outside of Wolves, England's top division's fall in goals from open play is largely a London phenomenon, with half of the city's seven teams recording five or more fewer goals from open-play than the previous year.
In fairness, that's largely down to their scoring many scores at the beginning of last season instead of them having difficulty to convert in open play this campaign.
Conversely Man City have seen the most significant jump, with all but one of their 23 goals this season coming in open-play.
Dead-Ball Dominance
We've compared newly promoted sides with the teams that went down they took the place of. Play-off winners Sunderland have scored three extra goals in open-play than the Saints did in matchday 11 on their way to relegation last season.
In terms of goals scored from set-plays (excluding spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have seen the biggest increase, with both sides replacing the five less scores that they've scored in open play with an equal amount from dead-ball situations.
United have netted two times more goals from set-pieces as they achieved in the 11 games the previous campaign ahead of their coach took over, while Sunderland again are more successful at scoring than the fellow red-and-whites that went down.
Manchester City appear not to have received the message about netting additional goals from set-plays, because they've recorded three less than the previous campaign, like Forest, though that might be down to the change in style they have tried to implement.
General Tendencies
Six clubs – the Gunners, the Blues, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Spurs and the Hammers – have been this season's primary examples by recording fewer goals from open play and additional from set-plays, while Manchester City are the only side to defy the pattern up to now by doing the contrary.
It will be fascinating to observe if teams carry on to depend greatly on set-pieces as matches continue or if they find again their general attacking flair and start converting additional scores in open-play also.
