The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
