The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
