The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
