The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
