The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
