Who will be the Premier League’s Euro 2016 top scoring team?
Published:
Robbie Purves | June 9, 2016
As Euro 2016’s curtain raiser grows ever closer and Europe’s finest footballing nations descend upon France, they take with them some of the Premier League’s most talented players.
While Spain may have a firm grip on Europe’s club competitions, England’s top flight is the dominant power when it comes to the number of players competing at the European Championship. More than a quarter of all the players at the competition are from the English leagues, with the top division providing the most.
So, with this in mind, which Premier League club will score the most at Euro 2016?
Arsenal: Giroud, Ozil, Ramsey
Olivier Giroud comes into the tournament on the back of sensational scoring form. The Arsenal man has netted six in his last three competitive matches and bagged a brace against Scotland in their final warm-up game before Euro 2016’s opening fixture.
Giroud has three in his previous two caps for France and will come into the competition main striker. With talent such as Antoine Griezmann, Anthony Martial and Dimitri Payet, expect Giroud to fill his boots.
Creative magician Mesut Ozil is likely to start in the middle of an attacking midfield, with scoring machine Thomas Muller beside him and Mario Gotze topping the German attack. The Arsenal man will be involved in all attacks and will operate as the heartbeat of Die Mannschaft’s potent scoring threat.
Aaron Ramsey has a super record for his nation. The Welshman has 10 goals in 40 games from midfield and netted in Wales’ final qualification fixture against Andorra. Chris Coleman’s side will rely heavily on Ramsey for his experience playing in massive high pressure games, so expect the midfielder to shine in France.
Manchester United: Martial, Rooney, Fellaini
Anthony Martial is coming into his first international tournament after an amazing campaign with Man United. The forward scored 18 this term, including his time as AS Monaco.
If Martial starts, he will be surrounded by supreme attacking talent such as Griezmann, and has the knack of stepping up in high pressure situations. For instance, scoring against Liverpool on his United debut and netting a last minute winner against Everton in the FA semi-final – a European Championship on home-soil will not faze him.
Wayne Rooney became England’s all-time leading marksman en route to qualifying for the Euros. The striker scored a nation high seven goals, that saw England finish the campaign with ten wins in as many matches. With great talent such as Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy supporting him in France, expect Rooney to reclaim some of the ruthless form he showed 12 years ago at Euro 2004.
Marouane Fellaini could also be a handful for Belgian. The midfielder scored four in qualifying mainly playing from an attacking position, and possesses the ability to wreak havoc in defences due to his awkward physical style. Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard are the talented cast Fellaini has around him, the United man will likely be involved in most Belgian attacks and be a real threat at set pieces.
Tottenham: Kane, Alli, Vertonghen
Tottenham’s Kane has recorded an impressive 64 goals in all competitions over the last two campaigns, and looks set to shine at his first senior international tournament.
Kane fired Spurs to their greatest-ever Premier League finish and ended the season as top scorer with 25.
Roy Hodgson’s side will have a distinct Tottenham presence through its spine and will help the striker fire England into the tournaments latter stages.
Dele Alli’s meteoric rise since joining Spurs from MK Dons has been remarkable and so has his scoring from midfield. The 20-year-old netted 10 in 33 for Tottenham in the league and will be a danger in France breaking from deep.
Another Tottenham player heading to the Euros is Jan Vertonghen. The ball playing centre back loves bringing the ball forward and will be involved in Belgium’s set pieces. Spurs are 6/1 to score the most goals of a Premier League team at Euro 2016.
Stoke: Shaqiri, Walters, Arnautovic
Stokes’s Xherdan Shaqiri will be at the heart of every attacking move Switzerland make at Euro 2016. Shaqiri scored four goals and made an impressive six assists en route to France. His pace, strength and ability to create chances out of nothing means he will be an attacking threat at Euro 2016.
Jonathan Walters has 10 goals in 39 caps for the Republic of Ireland and finished the qualifying campaign with five strikes. Since making his senior international debut in 2010, Walters has become terrifically valuable to his nation. However, he may find it hard to net against a tough group of Belgium, Italy and Sweden.
Marko Arnautovic bagged 12 goals for Stoke this term and has netted 11 times in his Austria career. The 27-year-old will start on the left wing for Austria, whose squad boasts the likes of David Alaba and Premier League winner Christian Fuchs.
Southampton: Davis, Pelle, Long
Northern Ireland’s Steven Davis finished his league campaign scoring three in two games and will hope to take this form into the Euros.
Davis played in the heart of Michael O’Neill’s midfield, but in recent friendlies has been moved further up into an attacking role, linking up with international goal-machine Kyle Lafferty.
Graziano Pelle found the net twice in his last three competitive games and registered 14 goals for Southampton this term.
The 30-year-old comes into the tournament as Italy’s first-choice striker and boasts a record of five strikes in 13 games for the Azzurri.
With Ireland’s all-time leading scorer Robbie Keane likely to miss the start of the tournament, a lot of pressure rests on the shoulders of Shane Long.
Long enjoyed a successful campaign this year, netting 10 in the league – pushing the Saints to sixth.
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