The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
