The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
