The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
