🔗 Share this article

The mood at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Falling Apart?

Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.

The Roman club became as messy during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.

Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return

At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.

Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."

Finding His Natural Fit

Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn