Are You Not Being Entertained? This Fall of Open-Play Goal Scoring

A key narrative of England's top flight season so far has been the decline of scoring in open play and how sides are finding goals increasingly from set-plays as an alternative.

Comparing scoring methods to the first 11 games the prior season, there have been a drop of 39 goals in open-play and 26 more from set-plays and penalties, giving us 13 fewer overall.

If we look at the bigger picture, efforts on goal clubs are making reveal a staggering drop of 370 in open play than at this stage last season.

Even with the notable jump in set-piece goals, there have actually been a mere two extra attempts created from them outside of penalties, indicating the efficiency sides are at discovering methods to net from set-pieces.

Scoring Rates Reveal an Interesting Narrative

Over 300 goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures to date averages out at nearly 2.75 goals each match, if this persists for the entire campaign could be the least for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69 per game).

Yet merely 196 scores coming in open play translates to 1.78 per fixture and is heading to be the smallest for 16 years, since 2009-10 (1.76 per game).

The 2009-10 season is also the only Premier League campaign to see goals scored at a higher rate from set-plays excluding penalties than the current rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79).

What Clubs Are Most Responsible?

Regarding goals scored from open play, Wolves have experienced the largest decline, netting only four in 11 games, 10 fewer than this point last season.

Outside of Wolves, the Premier League's drop in open-play scoring is largely a London phenomenon, with half of the London's seven clubs netting at least five less scores from open play than last season.

Honestly, this is mainly because them netting numerous goals at the early stages of last season rather than them really struggling to score in open-play this season.

Conversely City have recorded the most significant jump, with all but one of their 23 scores this season originating in open-play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

We've compared clubs that came up with those that were relegated they replaced. Sunderland Sunderland have recorded three more goals in open-play than Southampton managed in their opening 11 matches on their way to relegation the previous campaign.

In terms of scoring from set-plays (not counting penalties), the Gunners and the Blues have seen the biggest increase, with both sides making up for the five less scores that they've netted in open-play with identical figures from dead-ball chances.

Manchester United have scored twice as many goals from set-plays as they managed in matchday 11 last season ahead of the manager took charge, while the Black Cats once more are more effective at netting than the similar-colored team they superseded.

Man City seem unaware of the memo about scoring more from set-pieces, as they've scored a reduction of three than the previous campaign, as have the Reds, though this could be because of the altered approach they have tried to implement.

Overall Patterns

Six teams – the Gunners, Chelsea, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Tottenham and the Hammers – are the current campaign's top trend-setters by scoring fewer scores from open-play and additional from set-pieces, while Man City stand as the unique club to defy the pattern so far by doing the exact opposite.

It will be fascinating to observe if teams persist to depend greatly on set-plays as the campaign progresses or if they rediscover their overall inventiveness and begin netting increased totals in open play too.