NO team has really put their stamp on Euro 2016 so far and the same could be said for some of the star players who we were looking forward to watching before the tournament began.
Trying to predict the top goalscorer at any major national competition is difficult but with Euro 2016 it’s seemed as tough as ever.
Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale currently leads the way with three although all England supporters will tell you that should really be two if not for Joe Hart’s blunder.
The question over Bale, and the Welsh side, is if they will go far enough to give the forward enough chances to add to his tally.
Also on three is Alvaro Morata who has led the line for Spain so far. While the Spanish always score goals and have enough flair in midfield to create a hatful of chances, I don’t think Morata would have been backed too much by the average punter.
Heading into the tournament, it was still up in the air whether Morata or Aritz Aduriz of Athletic Bilbao would be wearing the number nine shirt.
Aduriz is the more experienced and was the leading Spanish scorer in La Liga last season but Morata was preferred by Vicente Del Bosque.
With Premier League stars such as David Silva and Cesc Fabregas ready to supply the ammunition, Morata could well take the golden boot, as long as they don’t crash out to Italy in the next round that is.
Arsenal fans will tell you all about Olivier Giroud’s troubles in front of goal and even though he does have one strike to his name, it’s hard to see the big striker troubling the top scorer charts.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who finally came to life against Hungary, and Nani are both on two but again, will Portugal improve enough to stay in the competition into the latter stages?
Dimitri Payet will have been backed by some of the West Ham faithful before the tournament and he’s looking good on two. With France looking relatively strong and having the benefit of home advantage, he might be a good outside bet.
English supporters would love to see one of their own at the top and the most likely has to be Jamie Vardy. With Harry Kane looking sluggish and Daniel Sturridge always on the verge of picking up a knock, Vardy could be England’s secret weapon.
He gives the team something different and he may just be able to provide that bit of magic tight games need – if you do fancy England to go all the way, they are 8/1 at the William Hill Euro 2016 betting page.
Picking the winners of Euro 2016 looks like a tough ask at this stage and predicting the top scorer is even more of a minefield. Things will be much clearer once we get past the first knockout stage so let’s sit back and enjoy the next three weeks of enthralling football.
