The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
