The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri 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 most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
