The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league 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 after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
