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 and opinion to reflect on key stories from the latest Premier League matches. This week, Arsenal's underwhelming performance against Bournemouth raises concerns about their title prospects. Despite Mikel Arteta's team excelling at set-pieces, their lack of creativity from open play is a recurring issue, with an expected goals total of just 0.18 against Bournemouth. The Gunners' reliance on set-plays has been a theme this season, but overemphasizing this tactic can hinder their momentum. With a significant amount of time spent on dead-ball situations, Arsenal's possession-based game suffers. The team has had more matches with low open-play expected goals totals than any other top-six team, which is unusual for a Premier League leader. Meanwhile, Jarrod Bowen's consistency for West Ham is a notable exception, with the player ranking among the top half-dozen players in the Premier League for goal involvements since joining the club in 2020. Bowen's reliability and robustness make him a talisman for the team, and he is well-placed to join an exclusive club of players with 20 goal involvements in each of the last three Premier League seasons. Elsewhere, Brian Brobbey's impressive performance for Sunderland against Tottenham highlights his ability to hold up the ball and retain possession, making him a valuable asset for the Black Cats.