The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one 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 persistently working to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
