The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
