The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A 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, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
