The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
