The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, 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 has been hard to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
