The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
