The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
