The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
