The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
