The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
