Arsenal's Struggle to Create Chances from Open Play May Prove Costly in Title Bid

The Debrief, a Sky Sports column, analyzes the key stories from the latest Premier League matches using data and opinion. This week, it's Arsenal's concerning performance against Bournemouth that's under scrutiny. Despite their success with set-pieces, the team's inability to create chances from open play is a growing issue. With an expected goals total of just 0.18 from open play, the Gunners struggled to make an impact. This over-reliance on set-plays may damage their momentum, as seen in the match against Bournemouth where 26 minutes and 48 seconds were spent with the ball dead. The tactic has worked for much of the season, thanks to Declan Rice's excellent delivery, but it's not a sustainable approach. Arsenal's formula has taken them to the top of the Premier League table, but it's led to a 'bitty' game, with too many matches lacking fluidity. In fact, they've 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 currently rank sixth on this metric, below Brighton. While it may not matter if they can beat Manchester City next time out, their lack of fluency could be a problem. Meanwhile, Jarrod Bowen played a crucial role in West Ham's 4-0 win over Wolves, providing two assists and moving the team out of the relegation zone. Bowen's consistency is impressive, with eight goal involvements in the Premier League this season, and he's one of the top players for goal involvements since joining West Ham in 2020. If he can finish the season strongly, he may join an exclusive club of players with 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, where Brian Brobbey impressed with his ability to hold up the ball. According to statistics, Brobbey is one of the best in the Premier League at retaining possession after receiving the ball, and his success rate is higher than anyone else near the top of the list. With six Premier League goals, all of which have been the final goal of the game, Brobbey is bringing more to the team, and his contribution has directly won Sunderland eight points.