A 3-3 draw with Torino at the Stadio Olimpico last weekend didn’t exactly tick lots of boxes for the Biancoceleste. A dramatic last-minute equaliser from Antonio Candreva secured a point that did not do a lot to help either of the two teams desperately seeking a way into Europe for next season.
There are now only four matches remaining for Lazio to bridge the two point gap separating them from Parma and a place in the Europa League next season.
However, the cause for most frustration from the tie came not from the inability to secure the three points, but from a third consecutive red card. Diego Novaretti was given his marching orders with 15 minutes left to play following the dismissals of Lorik Cana against Napoli (45 minutes left) and Lucas Biglia against Sampdoria (25 minutes left) in the Aquile’s previous two fixtures. This means Lazio have played a total of 85 minutes of football with ten men over the last three fixtures, at the most crucial point of the season.
A look at the Sere A Fair Play table does not reflect all too badly on the Biancoceleste though, as they sit in 10th place. But that is due to the relatively average amount of bookings picked up throughout the season, 73, and on closer inspection you will notice that in fact only Sampdoria, the side with the league’s worst record, have more red cards with nine to Lazio’s eight.
It seems to me that the failure to reinforce an erratic and ill-disciplined defence last summer or in January is more likely to impede Lazio’s attempts to qualify for Europe than the much-maligned search for a ‘vice-Klose’ ever was.
Lazio currently have five centre backs on their books and both Vladimir Petkovic and Edy Reja’s inability to settle on a pair as first-choice has resulted in tumultuous performances. Diego Novaretti arrived under the radar from Mexican side Toluca over the summer but unfortunately seems to have been educated in the Michael Ciani school of ‘muscular chaos’ defending. Both players seem to rely on their strength and height so heavily that they can be easily skinned by quicker, more intelligent forwards, as the lumbering Frenchman has found all too often since his arrival in the summer of 2012.
Andre Dias and Giuseppe Biava were the foundation of Edy Reja’s first Lazio side and formed a formidable partnership during that tenure. However, they are both getting on in age now and although Biava still occasionally cuts an elegant figure in the traditional Italian sense when defending, his legs cannot be relied upon at 36 years old. Neither can those of Andre Dias who, at 34, has possibly declined further already than his former partner and has suffered a torturous season.
This resulted in the move of Lorik Cana, signed as a defensive midfielder, to central defence. While no one can doubt the Albanian’s commitment, he is frequently referred to as a ‘warrior’, his previous life as a ball-winning midfielder has given him an innate tendency to aggressively pressurise strikers. This has resulted in his goalkeeper being left without much protection on several occasions and Cana has not avoided adding a few highlights to the clanger reel this season either.
The glaring individual weaknesses of Lazio’s centre backs have also been made evident by the decisions of Petkovic and subsequently Reja. It is common knowledge that a successful side is built around consistency, understanding and a strong foundation. You need only look at the untouched domestic dominance of Juventus to understand that.
This makes it absolutely astounding that in the 34 matches played so far this season, Lazio have played with three, four and five man defences and the number of different central defensive partnerships in Serie A so far is an incredible 12.
12 different partnerships in 34 matches. The most ‘consistent’ of these has been Lorik Cana and Michael Ciani, the partnership slightly more favoured by Petkovic, who have played together seven times. Next most was Edy Reja’s initial attempt to reinstate Andre Dias and Giuseppe Biava, who have played together six times.
Here is a table of Lazio’s most prevalent defensive partnerships this season, judged by starting appearances:
7 appearances – Lorik Cana and Michael Ciani
6 – Giuseppe Biava and Andre Dias
5 – Giuseppe Biava and Diego Novaretti
4 – Lorik Cana and Diego Novaretti
3 – Giuseppe Biava and Lorik Cana; Andre Dias and Lorik Cana
2 – Michael Ciani, Stefan Radu and Lorik Cana
1 – Michael Ciani and Andre Dias; Michael Ciani and Stefan Radu; Andre Dias, Stefan Radu and Giuseppe Biava; Andre Dias, Michael Ciani andGiuseppe Biava; Andre Dias, Lorik Cana and Giuseppe Biava
This chaotic table does not even take into account the frequently changing full backs and wing backs, which adds another layer to the confused tangle that is Lazio’s backline this season. So much focus was placed on the signing of a ‘vice-Klose’ last summer and in January that the defence was all but forgotten.
This area of Lazio’s squad is in need of a complete revamp. Not a single centre back in the current squad seems capable of the consistency required to make a push for Champions League football and while Stefan Radu and Abdoulay Konko provide quality on the flanks, they both suffer from well-documented injury problems and cannot be relied upon.
If Edy Reja is to leave at the end of the season, as has been reported this week, whoever comes in as his successor will have their work cut out attempting to reshape one of the most confused, disordered defensive lines Serie A has seen in recent memory.
Follow Alasdair Mackenzie on Twitter: @olimpiacalcio
