The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
