The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
