The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
