The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
