The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
