The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
