The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
