The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there 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 initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
