The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
