The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
