The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
