Where Has the Excitement Gone? This Drop of Open-Play Goal Scoring
A key narrative of England's top flight this campaign has been the decline of goals scored in open play and the way teams are netting increasingly from dead-ball situations instead.
Looking at goal sources to the initial 11 matches last season, there have been a drop of 39 scored in open-play and 26 more from set-plays and spot-kicks, giving us 13 less altogether.
Examining the broader view, shot attempts sides are producing show a remarkable drop of 370 in open play than at this stage last time out.
And despite the notable jump in dead-ball scores, records show only two additional shots created from these situations excluding penalties, showing how effective teams are at finding ways to net from dead-ball situations.
Goal Statistics Tell the Tale
The 301 goals recorded in 110 matches so far averages out at 2.74 scores per game, if this persists for the entire campaign would be the lowest for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69 per game).
However, only 196 scores coming in open-play averages out 1.78 each match and is heading to be the smallest for 16 years, from 16 years ago (1.76 average).
That campaign is also the unique EPL campaign to experience goals scored at a higher rate from dead-balls without spot-kicks than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79 average).
Which Sides Account for This Change?
When it comes to scoring from open play, Wolves have experienced by far the biggest decrease, scoring just four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 fewer than at this stage last season.
Outside of Wolves, England's top division's decline in open play goals is largely a trend among London clubs, with five out of the London's seven clubs netting a minimum of five less scores from open play than the previous year.
Honestly, this is mainly because their scoring many goals at the early stages of the previous campaign as opposed to them really struggling to score in open play this season.
Meanwhile Manchester City have experienced the biggest increase, with almost every one of the 23 they've scored this season coming in open-play.
Set-Piece Success
We've compared clubs that came up with the teams that went down they replaced. Play-off champions the Black Cats have recorded three more goals in open play than the Saints achieved in their first 11 games leading to demotion the previous campaign.
In terms of goals scored from set-plays (aside from spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have experienced the most significant jump, with each team making up for the reduction of five goals that they've scored in open-play with the same number from dead-ball situations.
Man United have netted twice as many scores from set-pieces as they achieved in the 11 games last season before the manager took over, while the Black Cats again are better at scoring than the fellow red-and-whites they superseded.
Manchester City appear not to have received the memo about scoring more from set-plays, as they've netted a reduction of three than the previous campaign, like Nottingham Forest, although this could be because of the altered approach they've attempted to adopt.
League-Wide Trends
Six clubs – Arsenal, the Blues, Fulham, the Magpies, Spurs and the Hammers – have been this season's primary examples by netting less scores from open-play and more from set-pieces, while Manchester City are the unique club to go against the grain up to now by performing the contrary.
It will be interesting to watch if sides continue to depend greatly on set-pieces as the season goes on or if they regain their general attacking flair and start netting additional scores in open play also.