The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
