The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for 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
