The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
