The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
