The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
