The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
