The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
