The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
