The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
