The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
