The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
