The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- 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."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
