The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
