Leighton Baines: Why Manchester United Desperately Need Him

After Manchester United finished second to Manchester City in the league campaign and won the FA Community Shield, one would probably argue that the Red Devils had an all-round decent year, depending on perspective and what is seen as satisfactory by some.

However, there will be those disappointed with handing the Premier League crown over to the club’s fiercest rivals, and the Red Devils’ capitulation on the European stage will also have sunk many a United heart.

With that in mind, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side are now going through the annual rejuvenation project that runs from July until September.

Over the last month or so, United’s interest in Leighton Baines is a story that has gained a particularly high amount of the spotlight and remains a much-talked-about subject right now.

According to the Daily Mail, the two outfits are currently currently going back and forth over a prospective transfer, with the Merseysiders holding out for £15m for their asset while United are staying firm on a fee of £10m.

It’s a story we’ve seen before.

Many would say that paying over the odds for a player at 27 years old, such as Baines, would be folly, a waste.

With full-back fast becoming a more poignant part of the game, though, United would do well to tie up a deal for the England international as swiftly as possible, even if it is for the inflated sum.

Although Patrice Evra is undoubtedly a great talent, the 31-year-old is beginning to show early signs of descent in his ability on the pitch.

For the last two seasons now, it’s become evident that the Frenchman has become more prone to mishaps in the line of battle, and while his numbers may point to his being a top-class player, he isn’t the wing-back he used to be.

Evra managed to pitch in with four assists last season, but when you consider that Baines made two of his own along with four goals, the Englishman starts to look a little rosier.

With Everton, Baines is very much a sore thumb. That is to say that the left-sided defender stands out as one of the club’s key players.

Under the tutelage of Moyes, Baines has evolved into an extremely gifted utility, and were it not for the presence of Ashley Cole, the former Wigan man would undoubtedly find himself with a lot more caps for the national side.

With such good statistics to boast of amongst an average-looking but ultimately talented Everton side, it would certainly be intriguing to see how effective Baines would be in an altogether higher quality setup such as the one at Old Trafford.

Not to belittle the talents of Everton’s stars, but were Sylvain Distin swapped for Nemanja Vidic and Leon Osman switched out for Ashley Young, Baines’ chances of silverware would automatically begin to look brighter.

As aforementioned, the full-back positions are fast becoming some of if not the most important areas of the pitch.

Two decades ago, it was the norm for a left- or right-back to shuffle up alongside their central colleagues, and that’s where they would stay.

But, as time has gone by, the wing-back has become a more practical use of the position.

Look at Jordi Alba’s performances at Euro 2012, and their victory instantly starts to look less lucky and more tactically deserved.

With Fabio da Silva now on loan at QPR, little to no backup exists for Evra, and were the former Monaco star to suffer an injury, the Manchester United defence would look all the more shoddy because of it.

Before Evra United went through a period of longing at left-back, just as they did for a time with the goalkeeping situation until Edwin van der Sar came along.

The Frenchman came to the club in 2006, before which the defending duties on the left side of the pitch were taken up by those such as Mikael Silvestre, John O’Shea and Phil Neville.

In fact the last true guardian of the role and perhaps United’s greatest player in the No. 3 shirt was Denis Irwin.

Going forward, Evra gives United great depth, and his speed makes him a constant threat on the counter, although that sort of agility is sure to slow in coming years.

Defensively, however, Evra isn’t quite as secure.

This seemed evident at Euro 2012, where the defender featured for Les Bleus against England before surrendering his starting spot to Gael Clichy.

Whether it comes down to skill or personality, Baines’ performances in Everton colours don’t appear to give off the same cockiness to which Evra can sometimes become subject, leaving his fellow back-line members in somewhat of a lurch.

According to WhoScored.com, Evra finished the 2011-12 season with an average of 0.4 accurate crosses per game, showing us that while he might get up field very frequently, the Frenchman doesn’t always make great use of any penetration.

When compared with Baines’ average of 2.0 accurate crosses per game, the latter, more conservative approach seems the better option.

Baines also shows better stats in terms of long-ball accuracy and key passes per game, in addition to beating Evra when it comes to getting dispossessed.

With the 2011 acquisitions of Ashley Young and Phil Jones, Sir Alex Ferguson added to an already strong English contingent at Manchester United.

Chris Smalling, Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans and Ezekiel Fryers are just some examples of other English talents at the club, helping United in their domestic image as well as meeting FA guidelines.

And that’s just in defence.

With Baines in the squad, United could field an all-English/British back four of regular first-team players if they wished to do so.

While it may not mean a lot to some, it’s a feat that not many of the top six in the Premier League could do and still challenge for the top places.

With the massive influx in foreign players over the last 20 years, it’s become increasingly easy to mould a team almost totally out of continental players.

United appear to have kept that kind of desire to a minimum, and while language barriers aren’t impossible to overcome, Baines’ arrival would certainly make things easier on the communication side of things.

When further analysing the 2011-12 Premier League campaign, we can see that Everton finished the season with the second best home defence in the English top flight, conceding an average of just 0.79 goals per game and managing clean sheets in an impressive 37 percent of matches at Goodison Park.

Sure, that may have a lot to do with the performances of other defenders like Phil Jagielka, Tony Hibbert and Distin, but having Baines amongst the bunch certainly doesn’t harm that back line.

In contrast the Red Devils finished ninth in terms of home defence and conceded a goal per game on average when at Old Trafford.

Again, a team is only as strong as its weakest player, and while Evra may not be that just yet, Edwin van der Sar is no longer on hand to sweep up as many mistakes as he would have been, and the potentially fragile David de Gea was left wide open at Evra’s downfall on more than one occasion over the past year.

Another reason Baines made the left-back spot his own in the 2011-12 PFA Team of the Year was his set-piece play.

The Evertonian can take a free-kick—that’s perfectly evident (see below).

However, that wicked left boot is also capable of taking a corner and whipping in a very high-quality cross, should the need be there; something Evra certainly doesn’t offer on a consistent basis.

So, while Everton are still holding out for a higher fee for Baines to leave Goodison, the 2010-11 Premier League's highest-assisting defender is most definitely a wanted man at Old Trafford and, as we can see, for good reason.

In the prime of his life, the 27-year-old Baines will need to make a hasty transition should he complete the switch to Manchester and take no time in becoming just another member of the star-studded squad.

With Sir Alex supposedly looking to let the youthful figures of Rafael and possibly Phil Jones fulfil the expectations at right-back, it’s important that at least one side of defence has experience to its name, something Baines would bring in spades.

All statistics and numbers come courtesy of WhoScored.com, Statto.com and Transfermarkt.com.