Team of the Season – Leighton Baines

He may always be amongst the priciest defenders on offer across the Fantasy games but when it comes to consistency, there’s few, if any, backline options that can justify their hefty price quite like Leighton Baines. With set-piece and spot-kick duties in his locker, the argument for acquiring the Toffees raiding left-back has always been a strong one in many Fantasy managers’ eyes.

Once again, Baines delivered with a series of superb displays in David Moyes’ final season in charge at Goodison Park. The only outfield player to feature in every minute of the 2012/13 campaign, his propensity for picking up returns at both ends of the pitch saw him comfortably finish 25 points ahead of his nearest defensive challenger in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, with a total of 177 points just a single point shy of his best ever showing.

The Statistics

Starting the season at 7.0 in FPL (7.1 in the Sky Sports game), Baines signalled his intent immediately, returning a clean sheet and maximum FPL bonus points in a Gameweek 1 home win over United. By the time Gameweek 9 has finished, he’d already plundered two goals, three assists and 11 bonus points – somewhat atoning for the fact he’d added just one more clean sheet to his tally over the period, courtesy of a Gameweek 5 away win at Swansea which delivered the first of three sets of double figures over the FPL campaign.

A run of 16 matches without a single clean sheet between the Gameweek 6 home clash against Southampton and Gameweek 21 trip to Newcastle saw him rely on attacking intent alone but, from the St James’ Park showdown onwards, Baines’ consistency was incredible. With the Toffees embarking on their customary strong finish under Moyes, Baines produced a goal, assist or clean sheet in 14 of the last 18 Gameweeks.

He ended joint-top scorer for defenders, finding the net on five occasions, produced more assists (seven) than any backline option and, along with 11 clean sheets, delivered 24 bonus points in the FPL game – again, a greater tally than any defender. Eventually rising to 7.8, the Everton man found his way into 23% of FPL teams, second only to Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross.

The Prospects

With Moyes now off to Old Trafford to replace Sir Alex Ferguson, Fantasy managers will approach Everton’s assets a little more tentatively in the new season. Much depends on who takes up the Goodison reins, of course, though a Toffees side under the likes of Roberto Martinez, for example, may struggle to mirror the steely resilience instilled by Moyes.

Baines’ success across the Fantasy games is likely to earn him a price hike, with a cost of 7.5 looking the likeliest scenario in FPL – as we attempt to cut corners at the back and seek out cut-price options to help balance the budget, Baines may well be a luxury many choose to overlook until the Merseysiders settle under the new man in charge.

There’s also the possibility of Baines following his former manager to Old Trafford. United have been linked with the left-back in seasons gone by and as Moyes looks to put his own stamp on the champions, he could well turn to one of his most trusted charges as he begins to rebuild at the back. A move to United would surely see Baines lose spot-kicks to Robin Van Persie, though, while the Dutchman would be likely to edge him out for corners and free-kicks, too – a real concern, given how key they have been to the left-back’s returns over the years at Everton. Although Baines would benefit from increased defensive returns at Old Trafford, then, a reliance on attacking points from open play could see him struggle to justify his premium price.

In addition, it would also have a knock-on effect on Patrice Evra. The Frenchman has delivered his most impressive season in terms of finding the net and was second only to Baines for defenders in FPL – the latter’s potential arrival would raise real question marks over the 32-year-old’s future, with Moyes unlikely to use the duo as a rotation pairing. Ultimately, then, Ferguson’s departure from Old Trafford is not just a bitter blow to United fans, it’s a decision that could snowball onto our Fantasy plans for the season ahead and potentially raises real concerns over a couple of left-backs that have offered a rarely-matched source of consistency over the last few seasons in the Premier League.