Arsenal's Creative Conundrum: Will Lack of Open-Play Ingenuity Cost Them the Title?

Welcome to The Debrief, a Sky Sports column where Adam Bate combines data and opinion to analyze key Premier League stories. This week, he examines Arsenal's dismal performance against Bournemouth, which has put the title back in the balance. The Gunners' inability to create scoring opportunities from open play, with a meager expected goals total of 0.18, raises concerns about their reliance on set pieces. While Mikel Arteta's team has excelled at set plays, this approach can hinder their momentum. The focus on set pieces has been a recurring theme this season, but it may not be enough to secure the title. Arsenal's struggles to create from open play have been a persistent issue, with six matches this season having an open-play expected goals total of 0.3 or lower. In contrast, previous Premier League winners have consistently ranked high in open-play creativity. Meanwhile, West Ham's 4-0 win over Wolves has lifted them out of the relegation zone, thanks in part to Jarrod Bowen's two assists. Bowen has been a consistent performer, with eight goals and eight assists in the Premier League this season. His output has been remarkable since joining West Ham in 2020, with only Mohamed Salah and Bruno Fernandes achieving more goal involvements in each of the past six seasons. Elsewhere, Sunderland's win over Tottenham has boosted West Ham's chances of staying up, with Brian Brobbey impressing as a striker. Brobbey's ability to hold up the ball has been exceptional, with a high success rate of retaining possession after receiving the ball.