Will Arsenal's Limited Open-Play Creativity Prove Costly in the Title Race?

Welcome to The Debrief, a Sky Sports column where Adam Bate combines data analysis and opinion to reflect on key stories from the latest Premier League matches. This week, we examine Arsenal's alarming performance against Bournemouth and the potential consequences of their reliance on set-pieces. The Gunners' lackluster display, with an expected goals total from open play of just 0.18, raises concerns about their ability to create scoring opportunities. While Mikel Arteta's team has excelled at set-pieces, their overemphasis on this tactic may be hindering their overall momentum. With 26 minutes and 48 seconds spent on dead-ball situations, including seven minutes waiting for throw-ins, the match became disjointed and failed to flow. This is not an isolated incident, as Arsenal have struggled to create from open play throughout the season. In fact, they have had more matches with an open-play expected goals total of 0.3 or lower than Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea combined. This lack of creativity may prove costly in their bid for the title. Meanwhile, West Ham's 4-0 win over Wolves, thanks in part to Jarrod Bowen's two assists, has moved them out of the relegation zone. Bowen's consistency is impressive, with eight goal involvements in the Premier League this season, and he ranks among the top half a dozen players in the league for goal involvements since joining West Ham in 2020. If he can maintain this form, he may join an exclusive club of players with 20 goal involvements in each of the last three Premier League seasons. Additionally, Sunderland's Brian Brobbey has been making a significant impact, with his ability to hold up the ball and retain possession impressing observers and backed up by statistics. His success rate in this area is higher than anyone else near the top of the list, and his contributions have directly won Sunderland eight points, including the winner at Newcastle.