The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
