The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off 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 then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
