The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
