The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
