The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
