With the group stage done and dusted, eight out of the 24 teams that initially came into the competition will be heading home as we’re set to move into the Round of 16 which will see Europe’s biggest names go up against each other.
The European Championship has certainly proven to be an emphatic spectacle, but it’s had its ups and downs in the form of abysmal performances from some big name players who were expected to light up the stage in an exquisite manner.
It’s been quite intriguing to see how the world-class players adapt to playing alongside their international teammates who may be lacking the quality that is present in abundance at club level.
Quite a number of underperformers still have a clear-cut chance to redeem their below-par Euro 2016 showings once the knockout stage begins, but some players aren’t lucky enough to have that luxury as their sides have already faced elimination from the group stage.
The likes of Luka Modric, Ivan Persic, Alvaro Morata and Gareth Bale, who were dubbed as key players going into the competition have duly delivered for their nations, so without further ado let’s have a look at top five underperformers in Euro 2016 so far;
Robert Lewandowski
Poland has done quite well to prove that they’re not a one-man team as suggested by soccer pundits before the start of Euro 2016. Analysts believed that their Euro campaign hinges on Robert Lewandowski’s performances.
However, Poland has managed to progress to the knockout stage thanks to some brilliant performances by Jakub Blaszczykowski and Arkadiusz Milik instead of Lewandowski. Contrary to the expectation, Lew who ranks fifth amongst top scorers of all time for Poland hasn’t registered any goal or assist in the three games he has played so far.
Disgruntled fans of the Polish national will be keen on seeing him score and make a significant impact in Poland’s round of 16 games, especially against Switzerland.
