The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
