The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
