The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
