The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
