The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
