The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
