The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
