The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as off the field, 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 tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
