The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn