The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
