The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
