The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
