The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
