The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
