The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
