The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
