The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
