September 18, 2012 - 18:32 AMT
345 goals scored in last season's UEFA Champions League

Tactical trends and the players and coaches who set last season's UEFA Champions League alight were the focal point of the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League technical report, UEFA official website said.

A total of 345 goals were scored in last season's UEFA Champions League – 10 fewer than 2010/11, but 25 more than 2009/10. Some 78% were the result of open play. There was a slight decrease in the number of goals from combinations and through/forward passes. Crossing and finishing, and incisive passes, were the main ways of creating opportunities. For the third successive campaign, there was a rise in goals being scored by players cutting the ball back from the byline for a supporting team-mate – often the end product of effective flank play.

Set-play goals fell slightly to 76 in 2011/12 from 82 in the two previous seasons. Meanwhile, the number of penalty goals rose from 14 in 2009/10 to 28 in 2011/12.

Added to this were statistics, the technical observers' UEFA Champions League 2011/12 squad and the best goals of the season.