The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn