The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
