The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
