The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
