The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
