The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
