The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
