🔗 Share this article

A key narrative of the Premier League this campaign concerns the drop of scoring in open-play scenarios and the way sides are netting increasingly from set-pieces instead.

Comparing goal sources to the first 11 games last season, there have been a drop of 39 scored in open play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and penalties, giving us 13 fewer altogether.

Considering overall statistics, the number of shots teams are taking reveal a staggering drop of 370 in open-play than at this stage previously.

And despite the significant rise in set-piece goals, there have actually been just two more shots generated from these situations excluding penalties, demonstrating how effective teams are at discovering methods to convert from dead-ball situations.

Scoring Rates Reveal the Tale

Over 300 goals recorded in 110 matches so far calculates at nearly 2.75 goals per game, which if it continued for the entire campaign could be the lowest for five years, since 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

But just 196 scores coming in open-play translates to 1.78 per fixture and is heading to be the smallest for since 2009-10, back in 2009-10 (1.76 average).

That campaign is also the unique EPL season to witness goals scored more often from set-plays excluding penalties than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 per fixture (0.79).

Which Teams Account for This Change?

Regarding goals scored from open-play, Wolves have recorded the most significant drop, registering just four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 fewer than at this stage last season.

Apart from Wolves, England's top division's decline in open play goals is predominantly a London thing, with five of the London's seven clubs recording a minimum of five less scores from open-play than the previous year.

In fairness, this is mainly because them netting lots of goals at the start of last season instead of them really struggling to convert in open play this campaign.

At the same time Man City have recorded the most significant jump, with all but one of their 23 scores this season arriving in open play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Comparing clubs that came up with those that were relegated that they superseded. Play-off champions Sunderland have netted three more scores in open play than Southampton did in their opening 11 matches on their way to the drop the previous campaign.

Regarding scoring from set-plays (aside from penalties), Arsenal and Chelsea have experienced the biggest increase, with the two clubs replacing the five fewer scores that they've netted in open play with identical figures from set-pieces.

Man United have netted twice as many scores from set-plays as they achieved in the 11 games last season before Ruben Amorim took over, while Sunderland once more prove better at scoring than the club they replaced they superseded.

Manchester City don't seem to have got the memo about scoring more from set-pieces, as they've netted a reduction of three than the previous campaign, like Nottingham Forest, although this may result from the change in style they're working to install.

League-Wide Trends

Six teams – Arsenal, the Blues, Fulham, the Magpies, Spurs and West Ham – represent the current campaign's top trend-setters by scoring fewer goals from open play and additional from set-pieces, while Manchester City stand as the only side to go against the grain so far by doing the exact opposite.

It will be interesting to see if sides persist to rely so heavily on set-pieces as matches continue or if they rediscover their all-round creativity and start netting increased totals in open play also.