The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
