The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
