The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
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 not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
