Only Eden Hazard to win more fouls than Grealish at Euro 2020

The Euros are almost upon us, and for once it feels like England have a chance at winning the damn thing.

A lot of attention is specifically going to be paid to Jack Grealish and Harry Kane, both of whom are fancied to be amongst the top players when it comes to goals, assists and, most interestingly, fouls won.

But how do they stack up to the competition this summer?

Get at Grealish
Big things are expected of Jack Grealish. Coming off a 2nd straight season as the most-fouled player in the Premier League, the Aston Villa ace is to continue to aggravate opponents this summer, with Spreadex predicting he will draw 12-13 fouls across the tournament.

That puts him in 2nd place, though the no. 1 spot may surprise you. It’s not Kylian Mbappe, who is expected to win 9-10 fouls, or Harry Kane, who is looking at 7-8, but Belgium’s Eden Hazard.

The midfielder has struggled to match his Chelsea peak at Real Madrid and spent most of 2020/21 on the sidelines through injury, with questions over match fitness persisting as Belgium head into their first game against Russia.

Yet he is clear at the top of Spreadex’s Player Fouls Won table at 14-15. Though that’s maybe just as indicative of how far Belgium will get in the competition, as it is of Hazard’s ability to draw heat.

Alongside Mbappe, Alvaro Morata – another former Chelsea star at a low ebb – is also expected to win 9-10 fouls.

Memphis Depay rounds out the top 5 at 8-9, suggesting people may be sleeping on the Netherlands as potential winners.

As mentioned, Kane is then at 7-8, with Manchester United magician Bruno Fernandes ahead of his Portuguese teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, at 6.5-7.5 to the 36-year-old’s 6-7.

Ronaldo shares that forecast with Russia’s Artem Dzyuba, while youngsters Serge Gnabry and Ferran Torries are at 5.5-6.5 apiece.

Elsewhere notable names include Raheem Sterling, who is expected to win 5-6 fouls, Robert Lewandowski at 4.5-5.5, Phil Foden at 4-5, and Gareth Bale at 3-4.

Arise Sir Kane?
Grealish may be England’s potential difference maker, but it is Harry Kane who carries the true burden of the country’s performance.

Kane is going into the competition as favourite for the Golden Boot, at 4/1, ahead of Romelu Lukaku at 9/2 and Kylian Mbappe at a surprisingly long 10/1.

Interestingly, that only equates to a Kane Tournament Goals spread of 2.7-3.2. For context, the Spurs striker won the Golden Boot with 6 goals at the 2018 World Cup, while the Euros record is the 9 scored by Michel Platini during his remarkable performance in 1984.

There’s not much competition for Kane in the England squad, with Raheem Sterling next up at 0.8-1.1, and Marcus Rashford at 0.6-0.9.

In terms of the competition as a whole, Kane is at a Shots on Target spread of 9.5-10.5, the same as Lukaku, and again ahead of Mbappe at 8-9.

And after winning the Premier League Playmaker of the Season Award, it’s no surprise that Kane also leads for England Assists, at a spread of 1-1.3, against Jack Grealish at 0.8-1.1 and Phil Foden at 0.7-1.

Only Kevin De Bruyne, at 1.4-1.7, and Memphis Depay, at 1.1-1.4, are forecast to get more assists than Kane this summer.

It is telling how much is expected of Kane that, at a Tournament Minutes Played spread of 415-445, he is set to feature more than first choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who trails at 401-431.

At the other end of the table, Sam Johnstone, at 0-10, and Dominic Calvet-Lewin, at 33-53, will be lucky to get a look in.