The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
