The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
