The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
