The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances 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, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
