The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
