The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
