The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 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 at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
