The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
