The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
