The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
