Why do teams struggle to score goals in the Championship?

Championships are often the home of emotions, spills and goals – and there are plenty of them. But not so much this season.

After 15 rounds in 180 matches, 435 goals had been scored, which was 57 fewer than at this stage last season.

This is the lowest level in four years, so where have all the goals gone?

“We have to keep it in context because we are comparing it to last season which was absolutely crazy and at times it felt like we were just attacking,” former Leyton Orient and Reading winger Jobi McAnuff said on the BBC 72+ podcast.

“The teams that were eliminated, such as Burnley and Sheffield United, weren’t in the best form either.”

Of the top ten teams in the league, only four scored more than 20 goals.

Last season, when we had 492 goals at this stage, each of the top 10 teams scored over 20 goals in their first 15 games.

The top two teams in Leicester and Ipswich beat all before them and scored a total of 62 goals. Sunderland and Sheffield United have 44 this campaign.

Former Derby County defender Curtis Davies believes part of this may be due to the type of players clubs are signing.

“It’s also a symptom of the current tactic where clubs buy strikers rather than centre-forwards,” he said on the podcast.

“People will say they want a nine, but they also want him to come in and do other things and not just stay close to the box and only get involved when he needs to.”