The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
