The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
