The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
