The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
