The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
