The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
