The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. 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, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
