The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
