The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
