The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy 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
