The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
