The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the management had not mentioned 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 stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
