The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two 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.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
