The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
