Don't get me started on this topic. Oh, too late....
There have been a few articles about how shooting, let alone scoring, from outside the box has reduced notably over the last 10-20 years. Various theories and explanations as to why this should be can be found online, or in the pub. To my mind, given the ball itself is easier than ever to strike and moves more in the air, and there are just no bobbles or divots on the grass at all, the reduction in long range shooting is all the more notable and perhaps worrying.
Personally, I put it down to a mix of things.
Firstly, the introduction of the 'holding' or defensive midfielder, who sits in front of the centre backs all game. Once Cantona and Bergkamp started dropping off into 'the hole' it was only a matter of time before a Makelele-type sitting midfielder was introduced to deal with the problem. Central midfielders used to play box-to-box, and so were expected to contribute a few goals as well as lots of passing, running, and tackling. Even a deeper midfielder was usually playing there in part because he could pass or shoot from range.
A modern holding midfielder is different. He is dedicated to defending and keeping his position, and so feels little expectation or pressure to ever score. Over time, that means players with no shooting ability whatsoever will be picked anyway, whereas once it would have held them back. There are probably far more naturally non-scoring, non-shooting midfielders in the league now than 20 years ago.
Mostly though I think its down to coaching, both specifically and generally. Specifically in that players are now coached to maintain possession first and foremost. That's why you often see wingers passing it backwards to the full back instead of taking their opponent on, and rarely see end to end 'basketball' style football matches. Shooting from distance is at odds with that mindset. The poxy data probably says you have X% better chance overall if you pass it instead of shooting.
Then there is this absolute, all-invasive dread and fear that modern coaches have of facing any form of counter attack. That usually means leaving at least one midfielder half way inside the opponents half even when we are crossing the ball into their box. 20 years ago that guy would have been nearer the edge of their box, and got a few shooting chances that way. Nowadays his job is to maintain control by recycling the ball if the winger (as usual) passes it backwards, or by ensuring a clearance doesn't turn into a counter. Scoring a goal is not on his list of instructions.
This is where the more general influence of coaching comes in. It's influence is far greater now than it once was. Think of when it was last common for players to shoot from outside the box and you probably think of the Lampard, Gerrard, Beckham period. What these players have in common is that the team was built around them to a point, and they had the responsibility to carry the team. That meant a degree of freedom to go about the job as seemed, to them, for the best at any given moment. That included getting into shooting positions and taking the risk to shoot. Their ability to make decisions was trusted.
Nowadays its all about the managers tactics. The players are just there to carry out his brilliant plan, like pawns on a chessboard. Shooting from range requires independence of thought and purpose, and indicates a belief that the player is actually the key deciding factor in a football match, rather than the coach. That's at odds with having a 'philosophy' and ten subs available for the coach to cycle through all the various permutations over 90 minutes, all of which makes its all about him. Players get over-controlled and God help any of them if they act for themselves. Can you imagine anyone, at any level of the modern premier league, giving Matt Le Tissier the platform his various Southampton managers gave him back in the day?
I doubt we will ever see a return to long range shooting as a commonly used weapon.
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