The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
