The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially 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 coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
