The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
