The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
