The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
