A key narrative of England's top flight this campaign is the reduction of goals scored in open-play scenarios and the way teams are netting increasingly from dead-ball situations as an alternative.
Looking at how goals have been scored to the first 11 games last season, we note 39 fewer scored in open play and 26 more from set-plays and spot-kicks, resulting in 13 less in total.
Considering overall statistics, shot attempts sides are producing reveal a staggering drop of 370 in open-play than this time last season.
And despite the significant rise in dead-ball scores, we've actually seen just two more shots produced from these situations outside of penalties, demonstrating how effective clubs have been at devising strategies to net from set-pieces.
301 total goals notched in 110 games so far works out at 2.74 scores per fixture, if maintained for the whole season could be the lowest for five years, back in 2020-21 (2.69 average).
However, only 196 goals scored in open-play averages out 1.78 per game and is heading to be the least for 16 seasons, from 16 years ago (1.76).
That campaign is also the sole English top-flight season to experience goals scored at a higher rate from dead-balls without spot-kicks than the current rate of 0.77 per game (0.79 per game).
When it comes to scoring from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have recorded the largest decline, netting a mere four in 11 matches, 10 fewer than at this stage the previous campaign.
Excluding Wolves, the Premier League's decline in open-play scoring is very much a London phenomenon, with five of the city's seven teams recording five or more goals fewer from open play than last season.
To be fair, this is mainly because their scoring lots of goals at the beginning of the previous campaign as opposed to them having difficulty to score in open-play this season.
Conversely City have recorded the biggest increase, with nearly all of the 23 they've scored so far originating in open play.
We've compared clubs that came up with those that were relegated they replaced. Sunderland Sunderland have recorded three extra goals in open-play than Southampton managed in their first 11 games leading to relegation the previous campaign.
When it comes to scoring from dead-ball situations (excluding spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have seen the largest rise, with both sides compensating for the five less goals that they've netted in open play with identical figures from dead-ball chances.
Manchester United have scored two times more scores from set-pieces as they managed in the 11 games last season before their coach took charge, while the Black Cats again are better at converting than the fellow red-and-whites they superseded.
Manchester City seem unaware of the trend about increasing scoring from set-pieces, since they've netted a reduction of three than the previous campaign, as have Nottingham Forest, although this could be because of the altered approach they're working to install.
Six clubs – the Gunners, Chelsea, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Spurs and West Ham – have been this term's primary examples by netting less goals from open-play and more from set-plays, while City represent the only side to defy the pattern to date by performing the complete reverse.
It will be fascinating to observe if sides continue to depend greatly on set-plays as the season goes on or if they find again their all-round creativity and begin scoring more goals in open-play too.
Lena Hoffmann is a seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, specializing in German current affairs and digital media trends.
