The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
