The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
