The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
