The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
