The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
