The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
