The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
