The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
