The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 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 an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
