The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
