The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
