The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
