The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined initially 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, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
