The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other 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 Surprising Comeback
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
