The mood at their home stadium 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 most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
