Where Has the Excitement Gone? The Fall of Open-Play Goal Scoring

A major talking point of England's top flight this campaign has been the decline of goals scored in open play and how clubs are finding goals more from dead-ball situations as an alternative.

When we compare goal sources to matchday 11 the prior season, we see 39 fewer goals in open-play and 26 more from team set-pieces and penalties, leading to 13 less in total.

If we look at overall statistics, the number of shots teams are taking reveal an incredible 370 fewer in open-play than at this stage last time out.

Even with the significant rise in dead-ball scores, there have actually been a mere two extra shots created from them outside of spot-kicks, indicating the efficiency clubs have been at devising strategies to convert from set-pieces.

Goal Averages Reveal an Interesting Narrative

Over 300 goals notched in 110 matches to date averages out at 2.74 scores each match, if maintained for all 38 games would be the lowest for five years, since 2020-21 (2.69 average).

Yet merely 196 scores scored in open play equates to 1.78 per fixture and is on course to be the lowest for 16 seasons, since 2009-10 (1.76).

The 2009-10 season also marks the sole English top-flight season to experience scoring more often from non-penalty set-pieces than the current rate of 0.77 per game (0.79 per game).

Which Sides Account for This Change?

When it comes to goals scored from open-play, Wolves have experienced by far the biggest decline, netting a mere four in 11 games, 10 fewer than this point the previous campaign.

Apart from Wolves, England's top division's fall in open play goals is largely a trend among London clubs, with five out of the city's seven teams scoring at least five fewer goals from open play than the prior season.

In fairness, this is mainly because their scoring many scores at the early stages of last season as opposed to them really struggling to convert in open-play this campaign.

Meanwhile City have recorded the biggest increase, with nearly all of the 23 they've scored so far coming in open-play.

Set-Play Proficiency

Looking at the promoted teams with the teams that went down that they superseded. Sunderland the Black Cats have recorded three more goals in open play than Southampton did in their opening 11 matches en route to relegation the previous campaign.

When it comes to goals scored from dead-ball situations (aside from spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have seen the biggest increase, with each team compensating for the five fewer scores that they've scored in open play with identical figures from set-pieces.

United have scored double the number scores from set-pieces as they achieved in matchday 11 the previous campaign before their coach took over, while Sunderland once more are more effective at converting than the similar-colored team they replaced.

City don't seem to have got the memo about scoring more from set-plays, because they've scored three fewer than last season, similar to the Reds, though this could be because of the altered approach they're working to install.

League-Wide Trends

Six sides – the Gunners, Chelsea, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Spurs and the Hammers – have been the current campaign's primary examples by recording fewer goals from open play and increased from set-plays, while Manchester City stand as the sole team to buck the trend up to now by performing the exact opposite.

It will be fascinating to watch if clubs continue to depend greatly on set-pieces as the season goes on or if they regain their general attacking flair and begin scoring increased totals in open-play also.