The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
