The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
