The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
