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

One of the biggest stories of England's top flight this campaign has been the reduction of goals scored in open-play scenarios and how clubs have been scoring more from dead-ball situations instead.

When we compare how goals have been scored to matchday 11 the prior season, we note 39 fewer scored in open-play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and spot-kicks, resulting in 13 less altogether.

If we look at the broader view, the number of shots teams are taking have seen a remarkable 370 fewer in open play than this time last time out.

Even with the big increase in dead-ball scores, we've actually seen a mere two extra attempts generated from these situations excluding spot-kicks, demonstrating the proficiency teams are at devising strategies to convert from dead-ball chances.

Goal Statistics Reveal a Story

The 301 goals notched in the first 110 fixtures so far calculates at 2.74 goals per fixture, if this persists for the whole season could be the lowest for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69).

Yet merely 196 goals scored in open play translates to 1.78 per game and is tracking to be the smallest for since 2009-10, back in 2009-10 (1.76 average).

The 2009-10 season additionally represents the unique EPL campaign to see scoring more often from non-penalty set-pieces than the current rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 average).

Which Sides Account for This Change?

When it comes to scoring from open-play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have recorded by far the biggest drop, registering just four in 11 games, 10 fewer than at this stage the previous campaign.

Excluding Wolverhampton, the Premier League's fall in goals from open play is very much a London phenomenon, with five of the London's seven clubs netting a minimum of five less scores from open play than last season.

In fairness, this is primarily due to them scoring many goals at the beginning of last season as opposed to their genuine struggle to convert in open play this season.

Meanwhile City have recorded the largest rise, with all but one of the 23 they've scored to date originating in open play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

We've compared newly promoted sides with the relegated sides they took the place of. Play-off winners Sunderland have netted three extra goals in open-play than Southampton managed in their opening 11 matches leading to the drop last season.

Regarding scoring from set-plays (excluding penalties), the Gunners and Chelsea have seen the biggest increase, with both sides compensating for the five less goals that they've produced in open-play with the same number from dead-ball situations.

United have netted two times more scores from set-plays as they managed in the first 11 matches the previous campaign before their coach took charge, while Sunderland additionally prove better at converting than the club they replaced that went down.

Man City don't seem to have got the memo about netting additional goals from set-pieces, since they've scored three less than last season, as have the Reds, though that might be down to the altered approach they've attempted to adopt.

Overall Patterns

Six teams – Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, the Magpies, Tottenham and the Hammers – are this term's top trend-setters by scoring fewer goals from open play and additional from set-pieces, while Manchester City stand as the only side to defy the pattern so far by performing the complete reverse.

It will be interesting to see if teams persist to place such emphasis on set-pieces as the campaign progresses or if they find again their overall inventiveness and commence scoring additional scores in open play also.