The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances 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 at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
