The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
