The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward 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 scored seven times. Shoehorn
