The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
