The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
