The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
