It’s something of an understatement to suggest Leighton Baines has failed to live up to expectation this term. The top-scoring defender in last season’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game with a total of 178 points, Everton’s left-back started this season priced at 8.0 but so far has returned just 27 points from ten appearances, an average of 2.7 per game compared to 4.7 last time round.
His lack of any real returns has been a strange one- reason would suggest the departure of Mikel Arteta would only have increased Baines’ returns, given that he’s number one for set-pieces and spot-kicks, but the emergence of on-loan Royston Drenthe has currently put him firmly in the shade.
As a result, he’s dropped in ownership, down to just 6% but with David Moyes’ side encountering a strong run of upcoming fixtures, you’d think that if ever he was about to realise his potential, now is the time.
Using our own ICT Index and Opta stats available to members, we analyse his displays so far to ascertain just where, if at all, Baines has under performed.
