The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
