The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
