The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him admitted that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
