The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A 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 at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
