The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
