The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
