The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
