The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
