The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. 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. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
