The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress 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 to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 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, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
