The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn