The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
