The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances 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. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
