Where Has the Excitement Gone? The Decline of the Goal Scoring
A key narrative of England's top flight this campaign is the reduction of scoring in open-play scenarios and the way clubs are finding goals more from dead-ball situations as an alternative.
Comparing how goals have been scored to matchday 11 last season, we see 39 fewer goals in open play and 26 more from set-plays and penalties, giving us 13 fewer altogether.
If we look at the broader view, efforts on goal sides are producing show a remarkable 370 fewer in open-play than at this stage last season.
And despite the big increase in set-piece goals, records show only two additional shots produced from them outside of penalties, demonstrating how effective sides are at finding ways to net from dead-ball chances.
Goal Statistics Tell an Interesting Narrative
Over 300 goals scored in 110 games so far averages out at 2.74 goals each match, if this persists for the whole season might be the smallest for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69 per game).
But just under 200 goals coming in open play translates to 1.78 each match and is tracking to be the smallest for 16 years, from 16 years ago (1.76 per game).
The 2009-10 season also marks the unique EPL campaign to experience goals scored more frequently from set-plays excluding penalties than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79).
What Clubs Are Most Responsible?
In terms of goals scored from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have recorded the largest drop, scoring a mere four in 11 games, a reduction of 10 than at this stage last season.
Outside of Wolves, the EPL's decline in open-play scoring is largely a London phenomenon, with five of the London's seven clubs scoring five or more fewer goals from open play than the previous year.
Honestly, this is primarily due to them scoring numerous goals at the start of last season as opposed to them having difficulty to find the net in open-play this campaign.
Meanwhile Manchester City have seen the most significant jump, with almost every one of their 23 goals so far arriving in open-play.
Set-Piece Success
Looking at the promoted teams with the relegated sides that they superseded. Sunderland Sunderland have recorded three more goals in open play than Southampton managed in their first 11 games on their way to relegation the previous campaign.
Regarding goals scored from dead-ball situations (not counting spot-kicks), Arsenal and Chelsea have recorded the largest rise, with the two clubs making up for the reduction of five scores that they've netted in open-play with identical figures from dead-ball situations.
United have netted twice as many goals from set-pieces as they achieved in the 11 games the previous campaign prior to the manager took over, while the Black Cats additionally prove better at converting than the similar-colored team that went down.
Man City appear not to have received the message about netting additional goals from set-pieces, because they've netted a reduction of three than the previous campaign, similar to the Reds, though this could be because of the altered approach they're working to install.
League-Wide Trends
Six teams – Arsenal, the Blues, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham – are the current campaign's primary examples by recording fewer scores from open play and more from set-plays, while Man City are the unique club to buck the trend to date by doing the contrary.
It will be fascinating to watch if clubs persist to place such emphasis on set-plays as the season goes on or if they regain their overall inventiveness and begin converting more goals in open-play also.
