The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
