The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
