The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
