The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
