The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
