The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
