The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
