The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
