The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
