The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
