The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
