The mood 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 most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
