The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
