The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
