The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just 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.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a thread holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
