So who does everyone think will be top goalscorer for the Euros? Van Persie, Gomez, Torres, Rooney, Cassano? Or will an outsider take the title. I certainly think Lewandowski is one to watch for Poland.
Rule out Van Persie, he's a world class player, just not in the Dutch team. 26 goals in 62 matches. Far below his Arsenal average.
26 in 62 isn't a bad return still - it hardly makes him completely off Mario Gomez's 26 in 52 or certainly Rooney's 28 in 73, Torres' 28 in 92!!! I won't be ruling him out - especially as that's his first full season in ages and his most prolific! I do like Lewandowski too on the basis he might get a few in the groups. I do also fancy Torres- I did an article about how he's likely to start down the middle for Spain: http://blog.oddslife.com/2012/05/torres-torture-over-del-bosque-returns-to-tried-and-tested/ and he scored the other day against Korea.
I am dead serious about Van Persie, he won't score at all on the EC. Huntelaar had a better chance of getting on the top scorers list. Torres has been on a roll recently, i'd pick him too.
I'm picking Robert Lewandowski. Currently in great form for club and country, and in a pretty easy group too, with home advantage. I agree with Cove as well, i don't think RvP will score at all, he's a shadow of himself when playing for the Netherlands. 1 goal every 3 games is a pretty decent record, but Van Marwijk would be mad to not start with Huntelaar instead, considering he's averaging a goal every 1.5 games.
But RVP's record at Arsenal has only improved to be better than the Netherlands record this season - before that he was scoring at less than one in two. You have to start with him, and he's got a couple of goals tonight to get them rolling in.
Gomez wastes far too many chances in front of goal and offers very little outside of the box, and considering he's a "big" man he hates any kind of a physical battle, plus Klose played most of the qualifiers and I think only Huntelaar scored more goals than him.
What these stats say to me is: more of the top European players play in the English league than in any other league therefore the English league is the best in Europe. It is FACT.
I reckon it will be a German. For all their possession football, Spain aren't the most prolific team and I don't think RVP will keep up his club form.
Will Sweden get past the groups though? Not sure about the Gomez hate - 64 in 94. May not come alive outside of the box but if you do that inside it, who cares?
Jelavic is a good outside bet, Olic is injured so he will probably definitely start and they have a half decent chance of getting through the groups though it is unlikely.
It's not that he doesn't come alive, it's more like he's unaware how to play football. His touch is awful, he can't pass, he can't beat people, yet he somehow scores insane numbers of goals?
I can't see Croatia advance to the quarter finals. Italy may have taken a big mental hit with the match fixing scandal, but they're still Italians. They hold up their hands, they scream and they shout. And in half-time the ref gets a blank cheque, and whaddayaknow, accidental win. My pick for this EC, the Ukranian mob, they are going to score millions!
im with you on the country just a different player Roman Shirokov has been outsanding the last year for Zenit I think it is He scored a double for Russia agaisnt the Italians the other day and for a deep lying playmaker scores qutie a lot