The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, 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 coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
