The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
