The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
