Could Arsenal's lack of creativity from open play cost them the title?

Welcome to The Debrief, a Sky Sports column in which Adam Bate uses a blend of data and opinion to reflect on some of the key stories from the latest Premier League matches. This week:

• Arsenal's open-play expected goals
• Bowen now in impressive company
• Brobbey's hold-up play stands out

Arsenal's lack of creativity from open play

Arsenal endured a miserable weekend in the Premier League; that much is obvious. A home defeat to Bournemouth coupled with Manchester City's win at Chelsea means that the title is back in the balance. But the Arsenal performance was even more alarming.

While Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth played some good football, Mikel Arteta's team sent in some set-pieces. And, well, that was about it. An expected goals total from open play of just 0.18 reflects just how little the Gunners created. It was a struggle to watch.

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Of course, the focus on set-plays has been a theme of the campaign. Arteta's team have been masters at it, creating and scoring more than anyone else from such situations. But this was an example of how overemphasising that can damage their own momentum.

There is an opportunity cost to sending the defenders up each time that a foul is won in the middle of the field. Declan Rice's delivery has been so good that the tactic has made sense for much of the season. It just did not feel that way on Saturday afternoon.

In total, 26 minutes and 48 seconds of the match was spent with Arsenal technically in possession but the ball being dead. Six minutes preparing for corners might be understandable given their success at it, but seven minutes waiting for throw-ins?

Perhaps Arsenal know their strengths. It is a formula that has taken them to the top of the Premier League table, after all. But it made for a bitty game and there have been too many of those now. This was no outlier. Arsenal often fail to create from open play.

Of the top-six teams in the Premier League table, they have had more matches this season with an open-play expected goals total of 0.3 or lower than Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea combined. It has happened six times.

That is very unusual for the Premier League leaders. Indeed, in the previous eight seasons, the eventual winners of the competition have ranked among the top two overall for open-play creativity. Arsenal rank sixth on the metric. They are currently below Brighton.

Does it matter? Not at all if they can beat City next time out. If the goal comes from a set piece, they will be all the more vindicated. But it might help to explain why fluency is proving a problem. City look capable of going on a run. Arsenal are relying on moments.

Bowen's goal involvements for West Ham

Jarrod Bowen will have felt West Ham's FA Cup exit to Leeds more than most, having hit the frame of the goal twice in the quarter-final and then seeing his spot-kick saved in the penalty shoot-out. But he played his part in a big win in the Premier League on Friday.

West Ham's 4-0 win over Wolves moved them out of the relegation zone. Bowen hit the post again but this time it was less damaging thanks, in part, to his two assists for the team. He has eight for the season in the Premier League now to go with his eight goals.

Bowen has not always scaled his usual heights in what has been a difficult campaign for the Irons but the output remains. Since signing for West Ham in January of 2020, he ranks among the top half a dozen players in the Premier League for goal involvements.

Indeed, his consistency is underlined by the fact that there are only two other players to have registered more than 10 goal involvements in each of the past six seasons. The others are Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United.

If Bowen can finish this season strongly and find another four goal involvements in the remaining six games of the Premier League season then he would not only go a long way towards keeping his team in the competition but join an even more exclusive club.

Erling Haaland is the only man to hit 20 goal involvements in each of the last three Premier League seasons. It is Bowen who looks best placed to match the feat. What a testament to his reliability, his robustness and his role as a talisman for this West Ham team.

Brobbey's hold-up play for Sunderland

West Ham's chances of staying up were further boosted when Tottenham slipped to a 1-0 defeat Sunderland on Sunday afternoon in Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge. Brian Bobbey did not score for the Black Cats but he led the line impressively.

"There is none better in the Premier League at holding the ball up," said former Sunderland striker Don Goodman on co-commentary for Sky Sports. The claim certainly passes the eye test but it is worth examining the statistics - and they appear to back it up, too.

The Dutchman has held the ball up 48 times this season. Only Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres has done so more often in the Premier League this season. But Brobbey's success rate at retaining possession after receiving the ball in those situations is higher.

In fact, it is slightly better than anyone else near the top of that list. "He started the season with us at probably not the best fitness level, so he needed a bit of time to be ready to be competitive physically," Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris explained recently.

Brobbey is competing now. "We want to play with him," said Le Bris. "Now we can kill the press." That longer ball up to the striker is sticking more often and if opponents commit men forward, allowing him to isolate the defender, then it is a problem for teams.

His total of six Premier League goals might seem modest but, curiously, all six have been the final goal of the game. They have directly won Sunderland eight points, including the winner at Newcastle. Now, Brobbey is bringing more to the team as well.