The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
