The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
