The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
