The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
