🔗 Share this article Where Has the Excitement Gone? The Fall of Open-Play Goal Scoring The Wolves squad recorded 10 fewer goals from open play than at this stage last season. A major talking point of the EPL this campaign concerns the reduction of goals scored in open play and the way clubs are finding goals more from set-plays instead. When we compare scoring methods to matchday 11 the prior season, there have been 39 fewer scored in open-play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and penalties, giving us 13 fewer overall. If we look at the bigger picture, the number of shots sides are producing show a remarkable drop of 370 in open-play than this time previously. Regardless of the big increase in set-play finishes, records show just two more attempts created from them excluding spot-kicks, indicating the efficiency teams have been at devising strategies to score from set-pieces. Goal Statistics Reveal a Story 301 total goals recorded in 110 games up to now calculates at nearly 2.75 goals per game, which if it continued for the whole season might be the least for five years, back in 2020-21 (2.69 per game). But just under 200 goals coming in open-play translates to 1.78 per game and is heading to be the lowest for 16 seasons, since 2009-10 (1.76 per game). That campaign also marks the only Premier League season to see scoring at a higher rate from non-penalty set-pieces than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 per fixture (0.79). Which Teams Are Most Responsible? In terms of goals scored from open-play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have experienced by far the biggest decrease, registering a mere four in 11 games, a reduction of 10 than this point last season. Excluding Wolverhampton, England's top division's fall in open-play scoring is largely a London phenomenon, with five out of the city's seven teams scoring five or more less scores from open play than the previous year. To be fair, that's largely down to their scoring many goals at the beginning of the previous campaign as opposed to them having difficulty to score in open play the current term. Meanwhile City have experienced the most significant jump, with almost every one of their 23 scores to date arriving in open-play. Set-Piece Success Looking at clubs that came up with those that were relegated that they superseded. Sunderland the Black Cats have netted an additional three scores in open play than Southampton managed in matchday 11 leading to relegation last season. When it comes to goals scored from set-plays (not counting penalties), Arsenal and the Blues have experienced the most significant jump, with both sides replacing the five less goals that they've scored in open play with an equal amount from set-pieces. Manchester United have recorded double the number scores from set-plays as they achieved in the 11 games the previous campaign ahead of their coach took charge, while the Black Cats once more are better at converting than the similar-colored team they superseded. Man City seem unaware of the message about netting additional goals from set-plays, because they've recorded three fewer than last season, like Nottingham Forest, though this could be because of the tactical shift they've attempted to adopt. General Tendencies Six teams – Arsenal, Chelsea, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham – have been this term's leading trend-followers by recording fewer goals from open play and increased from set-pieces, while City are the unique club to buck the trend up to now by performing the exact opposite. It will be interesting to see if clubs carry on to place such emphasis on set-pieces as matches continue or if they find again their general attacking flair and begin netting increased totals in open play also.