The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
