The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
