The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
