The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
