The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 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 at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
