The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
