The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
