Arsenal's Creative Shortfall: A Title-Deciding Factor?

In the latest edition of The Debrief, a Sky Sports column, Adam Bate analyzes the key stories from recent Premier League matches, using a blend of data and opinion. This week's focus is on Arsenal's underwhelming performance against Bournemouth, which has put the title back in the balance. The Gunners' lack of creativity from open play, with an expected goals total of just 0.18, raises concerns about their ability to win the title. Their reliance on set-pieces, which has been a theme throughout the campaign, may be damaging their momentum. In fact, Arsenal spent 26 minutes and 48 seconds of the match with the ball dead, including six minutes preparing for corners and seven minutes waiting for throw-ins. This approach has been successful for much of the season, but it made for a disjointed game, and it's not an isolated incident - Arsenal often struggle to create from open play. Among the top-six teams, 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 is unusual for a Premier League leader, as the eventual winners typically rank among the top two for open-play creativity. Arsenal, however, rank sixth, below Brighton. If they can beat Manchester City in their next match, it may not matter, but their lack of fluency could be a problem, especially if City goes on a run. Meanwhile, West Ham's 4-0 win over Wolves has moved them out of the relegation zone, thanks in part to Jarrod Bowen's two assists. Bowen has been consistent, with eight goals and eight assists in the Premier League this season, and his output since signing for West Ham in January 2020 ranks him among the top half a dozen players in the league for goal involvements. He is one of only two players, along with Mohamed Salah and Bruno Fernandes, to have registered more than 10 goal involvements in each of the past six seasons. If Bowen can finish the season strongly, he may join an exclusive club, as Erling Haaland is the only player to have achieved 20 goal involvements in each of the last three Premier League seasons. West Ham's chances of staying up were further boosted by Tottenham's 1-0 defeat to Sunderland, with Brian Brobbey impressing as a striker. Brobbey has held the ball up 48 times this season, with a high success rate of retaining possession, making him a valuable asset for Sunderland.