The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
