The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
