The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
