The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
