🔗 Share this article Is the Entertainment Fading? This Decline of Open-Play Goal Scoring Wolves managed 10 fewer scores from open play than this point last season. One of the biggest stories of the EPL this campaign concerns the decline of scoring in open play and how teams are finding goals increasingly from set-pieces as an alternative. When we compare goal sources to matchday 11 the prior season, there have been a drop of 39 scored in open-play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and penalties, giving us 13 less in total. If we look at overall statistics, the number of shots teams are taking reveal a remarkable 370 fewer in open-play than at this stage last season. And despite the notable jump in set-play finishes, we've actually seen only two additional attempts created from these situations excluding spot-kicks, indicating the proficiency teams have been at discovering methods to convert from dead-ball situations. Scoring Rates Tell a Story Over 300 goals scored in 110 matches so far averages out at nearly 2.75 goals each match, which if it continued for the entire campaign would be the smallest for five years, since 2020-21 (2.69 average). However, only 196 scores coming in open play averages out 1.78 per game and is heading to be the least for since 2009-10, from 16 years ago (1.76). The 2009-10 season additionally represents the unique EPL season to experience goals scored more frequently from dead-balls without spot-kicks than the current rate of 0.77 per game (0.79 average). Which Sides Are Most Responsible? When it comes to scoring from open play, Wolves have recorded by far the biggest decline, netting only four in 11 matches, a reduction of 10 than at this stage the previous campaign. Outside of Wolverhampton, England's top division's fall in open play goals is very much a London thing, with five of the London's seven clubs scoring at least five fewer goals from open play than the previous year. In fairness, this is mainly because them netting numerous scores at the beginning of last season as opposed to their genuine struggle to convert in open play this campaign. At the same time City have recorded the largest rise, with nearly all of the 23 they've scored to date arriving in open play. Set-Piece Success We've compared the promoted teams with the teams that went down they took the place of. Play-off champions Sunderland have recorded three more goals in open-play than the Saints managed in their opening 11 matches leading to the drop last season. In terms of goals scored from set-pieces (not counting spot-kicks), Arsenal and the Blues have seen the largest rise, with the two clubs making up for the reduction of five goals that they've produced in open play with an equal amount from set-pieces. Man United have recorded twice as many scores from set-plays as they did in matchday 11 the previous campaign prior to their coach assumed control, while the Black Cats once more are more effective at converting than the club they replaced they superseded. Man City seem unaware of the memo about increasing scoring from set-plays, since they've recorded three less than the previous campaign, as have the Reds, though this could be because of the change in style they have tried to implement. Overall Patterns Six teams – the Gunners, the Blues, Fulham, Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham – represent the current campaign's leading trend-followers by netting less goals from open-play and more from set-pieces, while City stand as the sole team to defy the pattern up to now by achieving the contrary. It will be fascinating to observe if clubs carry on to place such emphasis on set-plays as matches continue or if they find again their general attacking flair and begin scoring additional scores in open-play as well.