The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
