The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup 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
