The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
