The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
