Up until a disastrous 2015/16 campaign, it’s fair to say that Leighton Baines was one of the most reliable Fantasy Premier League (FPL) defenders around.
Rarely injured, the Everton left-back was synonymous with consistency and, thanks to a fair share of dead-ball duties, provided us with a steady source of points at both ends of the pitch season after season.
In Roberto Martinez’ final year at Goodison, Baines dropped into Fantasy obscurity. With an ankle injury limiting his minutes, the Toffees defender failed to feature until Gameweek 15 and never started more than five successive league matches.
Named in the Everton first XI on just 16 occasions, the left-back produced just two goals, a pair of assists and four clean sheets to limp home with just 67 points on the board.
Martinez’ decision to hand Romelu Lukaku spot-kick duties also dented Baines’ appeal, whilst at the back, the Merseysiders’ porous defence offered little in the way of resilience and conceded 55 times – a record only better than the bottom five.
The Prospects
With Martinez now departed, there’s hope that new manager Ronald Koeman can transform the Toffees’ fortunes at both ends of the pitch.
Encouragingly for those eyeing up the Everton backline, the Dutchman guided Southampton to a sixth-place finish last time out thanks to a resilience that saw their defence breached just 41 times – a tally bettered by only four other sides.
This should help the Toffees at home in particular – they managed just three clean sheets at Goodison and conceded 30 times in front of their own supporters, the third-worst home record in the league.
In terms of attacking potential, Ramiro Funes Mori (5.0) looks once to watch after netting four times last term, though Koeman’s more direct approach could be set to benefit Baines and fellow full-back Seamus Coleman.
Post-match reports covering Everton’s recent win over Barnsley were quick to cite more possession down the channels and Koeman summed up his intentions:
“A full-back has two options – play the ball back to the goalkeeper or play it down the channels [to the forwards]. I don’t like the first option.”
If Baines can steer clear of the treatment table, then, there’s hope that he could re-emerge as a viable option for our five-man defences.
Now down to a more affordable 5.5 this season, a run of six consecutive hauls of 130+ points prior to last year, which served up 22 goals and 43 assists, illustrates the potential value at hand.
Koeman’s decision on dead-ball duties will also play a part in our thinking. The likes of Gerard Deulofeu and Kevin Mirallas have already scored from free-kicks in the close-season, though it remains to be seen if either can nail down a regular role under the Dutchman.
Should Baines be given a portion of corners and free-kicks and also reclaim spot-kick duties, that price tag could prove excellent value for money. There’s even a chance he could be utilised as a wing-back if Koeman opts for the 3-5-2 formation we saw on occasion in the previous campaign.
Looking at the fixtures, Koeman will be optimistic of getting off to a strong start. The Toffees face just two of last year’s top eight in the opening nine Gameweeks and are rated third in terms of strength of schedule over that period, suggesting it won’t be long before Baines makes his way back onto our radars.
