The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
