The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
