The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
