The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
