The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
