The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
