The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all 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
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
