The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
