The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
