The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
