The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify 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 ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
