The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
