The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
