The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
