The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" 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, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances 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 "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
