The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
