The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 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 president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
