The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
