The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
