The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
