A major talking point of England's top flight season so far is the reduction of scoring in open play and the way teams have been scoring more from set-pieces instead.
Comparing goal sources to the first 11 games the prior season, we note a drop of 39 goals in open play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and spot-kicks, leading to 13 less overall.
Considering overall statistics, efforts on goal clubs are making show a remarkable 370 fewer in open play than at this stage last time out.
Even with the significant rise in set-piece goals, we've actually seen a mere two extra shots generated from them outside of spot-kicks, showing the proficiency clubs are at finding ways to net from dead-ball situations.
301 total goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures to date averages out at nearly 2.75 goals per fixture, if this persists for the whole season might be the smallest for half a decade, since 2020-21 (2.69).
But just 196 goals coming in open-play equates to 1.78 each match and is on course to be the smallest for 16 seasons, from 16 years ago (1.76).
2009-10 is also the sole English top-flight season to experience goals scored more frequently from non-penalty set-pieces than this season's rate of 0.77 per game (0.79 average).
Regarding scoring from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have recorded the most significant drop, registering just four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 fewer than at this stage the previous campaign.
Apart from Wolverhampton, the Premier League's decline in open play goals is largely a London thing, with five out of the London's seven clubs netting five or more fewer goals from open-play than last season.
Honestly, this is mainly because them scoring many goals at the beginning of the previous campaign rather than them having difficulty to find the net in open-play the current term.
Meanwhile Man City have recorded the most significant jump, with all but one of the 23 they've scored so far arriving in open play.
Comparing newly promoted sides with those that were relegated they took the place of. Play-off champions the Black Cats have scored three extra goals in open play than the Saints did in matchday 11 leading to the drop last season.
When it comes to scoring from dead-ball situations (not counting spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have seen the most significant jump, with the two clubs making up for the five fewer scores that they've scored in open play with identical figures from dead-ball situations.
Man United have recorded twice as many goals from set-plays as they did in the first 11 matches last season prior to their coach took charge, while Sunderland again have been more successful at netting than the similar-colored team they replaced.
Manchester City appear not to have received the message about netting additional goals from set-pieces, since they've netted three less than last season, as have the Reds, even if this could be because of the change in style they've attempted to adopt.
Six teams – Arsenal, Chelsea, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Tottenham and West Ham – are this term's primary examples by recording fewer scores from open-play and more from set-pieces, while Man City stand as the only side to go against the grain up to now by achieving the complete reverse.
It will be interesting to observe if clubs carry on to place such emphasis on set-pieces as matches continue or if they rediscover their all-round creativity and begin scoring increased totals in open play also.
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