The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated 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 about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
