🔗 Share this article

A key narrative of England's top flight this campaign has been the drop of scoring in open-play scenarios and the way clubs are netting increasingly from set-pieces as an alternative.

Comparing how goals have been scored to the initial 11 matches the prior season, we see 39 fewer scored in open play and 26 more from set-plays and spot-kicks, leading to 13 less altogether.

Considering the broader view, the number of shots teams are taking show a staggering drop of 370 in open-play than this time previously.

Regardless of the notable jump in dead-ball scores, records show only two additional shots created from these situations outside of penalties, indicating the efficiency sides have been at discovering methods to score from set-pieces.

Goal Statistics Tell the Tale

The 301 goals notched in 110 games to date works out at 2.74 goals each match, which if it continued for all 38 games could be the smallest for half a decade, back in 2020-21 (2.69 average).

Yet merely 196 goals coming in open-play averages out 1.78 per fixture and is tracking to be the lowest for 16 seasons, from 16 years ago (1.76).

The 2009-10 season also marks the sole English top-flight campaign to experience scoring more frequently from set-plays excluding penalties than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79 average).

Which Sides Account for This Change?

In terms of goals scored from open-play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen the largest drop, netting a mere four in 11 games, a reduction of 10 than at this stage last season.

Outside of Wolverhampton, the EPL's decline in open-play scoring is predominantly a London phenomenon, with half of the London's seven clubs recording five or more goals fewer from open-play than the prior season.

In fairness, this is primarily due to them scoring lots of goals at the early stages of the previous campaign as opposed to them having difficulty to find the net in open-play this season.

At the same time City have seen the most significant jump, with nearly all of their 23 goals to date arriving in open-play.

Set-Play Proficiency

Looking at clubs that came up with the relegated sides they replaced. Sunderland the Black Cats have scored three extra scores in open-play than Southampton managed in their opening 11 matches en route to demotion last season.

In terms of goals scored from set-pieces (aside from penalties), Arsenal and the Blues have experienced the largest rise, with the two clubs making up for the five less goals that they've netted in open play with an equal amount from dead-ball situations.

United have scored two times more goals from set-plays as they achieved in the 11 games last season before the manager took charge, while the Black Cats again have been more successful at scoring than the similar-colored team they superseded.

Manchester City appear not to have received the memo about netting additional goals from set-plays, as they've netted three less than last season, similar to the Reds, even if that might be down to the altered approach they have tried to implement.

General Tendencies

Six teams – Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, the Magpies, Spurs and West Ham – represent this term's top trend-setters by scoring fewer goals from open-play and more from set-plays, while Manchester City are the only side to buck the trend up to now by performing the complete reverse.

It will be fascinating to see if teams carry on to place such emphasis on set-pieces as the campaign progresses or if they find again their all-round creativity and start scoring additional scores in open-play too.