The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
