The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years 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, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
