The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he did say 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 falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
