The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
