Are You Not Being Entertained? The Decline of the Goal Scoring

One of the biggest stories of the Premier League season so far concerns the reduction of scoring in open play and how teams are netting increasingly from set-pieces as an alternative.

Comparing 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, giving us 13 less overall.

If we look at overall statistics, shot attempts teams are taking show a staggering drop of 370 in open play than at this stage last time out.

And despite the big increase in set-play finishes, records show a mere two extra attempts generated from these situations outside of spot-kicks, indicating the proficiency sides are at devising strategies to score from set-pieces.

Goal Averages Show an Interesting Narrative

Over 300 goals scored in the first 110 fixtures so far works out at 2.74 goals per fixture, if maintained for the whole season might be the least for since 2020-21, since 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

However, only 196 scores coming in open-play equates to 1.78 each match and is heading to be the least for 16 years, since 2009-10 (1.76 average).

2009-10 additionally represents the only Premier League campaign to see scoring more often from set-plays excluding penalties than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79 average).

Which Sides Bear the Most Responsibility?

Regarding scoring from open play, Wolves have recorded the largest drop, netting only four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 less than at this stage the previous campaign.

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

In fairness, this is mainly because their scoring many goals at the start of the previous campaign instead of their genuine struggle to convert in open-play this campaign.

At the same time Man City have seen the largest rise, with almost every one of the 23 they've scored so far originating in open play.

Set-Piece Success

Comparing the promoted teams with those that were relegated they took the place of. Play-off champions the Black Cats have recorded an additional three scores in open-play than the Saints did in their opening 11 matches en route to demotion the previous campaign.

In terms of scoring from dead-ball situations (aside from penalties), the Gunners and the Blues have recorded the largest rise, with both sides making up for the five less goals that they've netted in open play with the same number from set-pieces.

Man United have recorded double the number goals from set-pieces as they achieved in the 11 games the previous campaign before their coach took charge, while the Black Cats additionally are better at scoring than the fellow red-and-whites they superseded.

Manchester City appear not to have received the trend about increasing scoring from set-plays, because they've scored three fewer than the previous campaign, as have Forest, even if that might be down to the tactical shift they're working to install.

General Tendencies

Six clubs – the Gunners, the Blues, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Tottenham and West Ham – are the current campaign's top trend-setters by scoring fewer goals from open-play and more from set-pieces, while Manchester City are the unique club to buck the trend so far by performing the contrary.

It will be fascinating to observe if clubs persist to place such emphasis on set-pieces as the campaign progresses or if they rediscover their general attacking flair and commence converting more goals in open-play also.