The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
