The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
