The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
