The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing 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 they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
