The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
