The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
