The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to stay there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
