The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
