The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
