The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
