The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
