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A key narrative of the Premier League this campaign has been the decline of scoring in open play and the way sides are netting increasingly from set-pieces as an alternative.

Comparing how goals have been scored to the first 11 games last season, we see a drop of 39 goals in open play and 26 more from set-plays and penalties, giving us 13 less altogether.

If we look at overall statistics, efforts on goal sides are producing show a staggering 370 fewer in open play than at this stage last season.

And despite the big increase in dead-ball scores, there have actually been a mere two extra shots generated from these situations excluding spot-kicks, showing the proficiency clubs are at devising strategies to score from set-pieces.

Scoring Rates Tell a Story

301 total goals notched in 110 games so far calculates at nearly 2.75 goals per fixture, which if it continued for all 38 games might be the least for since 2020-21, back in 2020-21 (2.69 average).

However, only 196 scores scored in open-play equates to 1.78 per fixture and is heading to be the lowest for 16 seasons, back in 2009-10 (1.76 per game).

That campaign is also the sole English top-flight season to see goals scored at a higher rate from dead-balls without spot-kicks than the current rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 per game).

What Clubs Are Most Responsible?

In terms of scoring from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen by far the biggest decrease, scoring only four in 11 matches, a reduction of 10 than at this stage last season.

Outside of Wolves, England's top division's decline in goals from open play is largely a London thing, with five out of the London's seven clubs netting at least five goals fewer from open-play than the previous year.

Honestly, that's largely down to their scoring lots of goals at the early stages of last season rather than their genuine struggle to score in open play the current term.

At the same time City have seen the largest rise, with all but one of their 23 goals to date originating in open-play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Comparing the promoted teams with the teams that went down they replaced. Sunderland the Black Cats have scored an additional three goals in open-play than the Saints did in their opening 11 matches on their way to relegation last season.

When it comes to scoring from dead-ball situations (excluding spot-kicks), the Gunners and the Blues have experienced the most significant jump, with each team compensating for the five fewer goals that they've netted in open play with an equal amount from dead-ball situations.

Manchester United have netted two times more scores from set-pieces as they did in matchday 11 the previous campaign ahead of the manager assumed control, while Sunderland again prove more successful at netting than the similar-colored team that went down.

Manchester City don't seem to have got the memo about scoring more from set-pieces, because they've netted three less than the previous campaign, as have the Reds, although that might be down to the tactical shift they have tried to implement.

Overall Patterns

Six clubs – Arsenal, the Blues, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Spurs and the Hammers – represent this term's primary examples by netting less goals from open play and additional from set-pieces, while Manchester City represent the unique club to defy the pattern up to now by achieving the exact opposite.

It remains to be seen to observe if sides persist to depend greatly on set-plays as the campaign progresses or if they regain their all-round creativity and commence scoring increased totals in open-play as well.