The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged 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 falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad 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 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
