The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
