The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy 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
