🔗 Share this article

A key narrative of the Premier League this campaign is the reduction of goals scored in open play and the way teams have been scoring more from set-plays instead.

Looking at goal sources to matchday 11 last season, we see 39 fewer scored in open-play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and penalties, resulting in 13 less overall.

Considering the broader view, shot attempts teams are taking reveal a staggering 370 fewer in open play than at this stage last time out.

Regardless of the big increase in dead-ball scores, we've actually seen a mere two extra attempts produced from them outside of penalties, indicating the proficiency clubs are at finding ways to score from set-pieces.

Goal Statistics Show an Interesting Narrative

The 301 goals scored in the first 110 fixtures up to now calculates at 2.74 goals each match, which if it continued for all 38 games would be the lowest for five years, back in 2020-21 (2.69 average).

Yet merely 196 scores coming in open-play averages out 1.78 each match and is tracking to be the least for 16 seasons, since 2009-10 (1.76 per game).

2009-10 also marks the sole English top-flight season to see scoring more often from dead-balls without spot-kicks than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79 per game).

What Clubs Bear the Most Responsibility?

In terms of goals scored from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have recorded the largest decrease, netting only four in 11 matches, 10 less than this point last season.

Excluding Wolves, England's top division's decline in open play goals is very much a London phenomenon, with five of the city's seven teams netting at least five fewer goals from open-play than the previous year.

Honestly, this is primarily due to their scoring many goals at the start of the previous campaign rather than them really struggling to find the net in open play the current term.

At the same time Manchester City have recorded the most significant jump, with almost every one of the 23 they've scored so far arriving in open-play.

Set-Piece Success

We've compared newly promoted sides with the relegated sides that they superseded. Sunderland the Black Cats have recorded an additional three scores in open play than the Saints achieved in their opening 11 matches en route to demotion last season.

When it comes to goals scored from set-plays (aside from penalties), Arsenal and the Blues have experienced the most significant jump, with each team compensating for the five less scores that they've scored in open-play with an equal amount from dead-ball situations.

Manchester United have recorded double the number scores from set-pieces as they managed in the first 11 matches last season ahead of the manager took charge, while the Black Cats again are more effective at netting than the similar-colored team that went down.

Manchester City appear not to have received the message about increasing scoring from set-pieces, as they've scored a reduction of three than last season, similar to the Reds, though this may result from the altered approach they're working to install.

General Tendencies

Six clubs – the Gunners, Chelsea, Fulham, the Magpies, Spurs and the Hammers – have been the current campaign's top trend-setters by recording fewer goals from open play and additional from set-pieces, while Man City represent the unique club to buck the trend to date by achieving the exact opposite.

It will be fascinating to observe if sides persist to place such emphasis on set-pieces as the season goes on or if they rediscover their general attacking flair and start netting increased totals in open-play also.