The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
