The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy 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 previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
