The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
