The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
